PODCAST · arts
Undertowers Podcast
by undertowerspodcast
three very old friends discuss all things science fiction and fantasy
Episodes
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Episode 37: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, is it the best new manga?
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a manga and anime that has quickly become a modern classic. It tells the story of an elf mage who outlives her companions after their great quest, and then begins a quieter, more contemplative journey through memory, grief, and what it means to value the fleeting...
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Episode 36: Peace by Gene Wolfe; what the $%!^ was that?!
Peace is a novel by Undertowers favorite, Gene Wolfe. It was his 3rd full length novel. The guys get together to discuss and try to make sense of what they just read. The pleasure of a Gene Wolfe work is in thinking about it and discussing it with friends. Give us a like and subscribe! You can...
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Episode 35: Undertowers Recommends
In this episode we bring to you, our intrepid listeners a series of recommendations, an eclectic series of things we are enjoying. You’ll hear about Dragon Quest, Indiana Jones, and the Oblivion remake, as well as The Night Manager (2016), and Squid Game. We run through audiobooks, especially The...
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Episode 33: Hangout with Mike's Book Reviews
We are delighted to welcome Mike Kearns of the excellent booktube channel Mike’s Book Reviews to the podcast this week. We talk through a current dissatisfaction in the current fantasy and science fiction psychosphere as well as what it’s like to be an established and successful booktuber. You…
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Episode 32: Tropes 2.0
We are revisiting our tropes discussion, this time with a twist. We each prepared lists of tropes we are recently enjoying and some we are tired of but as we pick them to discuss, each of us will take turns steelmanning the opposite of our baseline positions. Led to a fun and hilarious episode…
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Episode 31: Bookclub Hangout: the funniest moments in fantasy
We have a wide-ranging conversation covering the totality of the books we’ve read in our book club thus far. What was the funniest moment? What counts as grimdark? We wind down with a speed round of favorite moments and look at what we are most excited to read the rest of the year. OUR COMPLETED...
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Episode 29: Robert Eggers Nosferatu
We are back! In this episode we dive into Robert Eggers’ 4th feature film, Nosferatu. We thoroughly enjoyed this film, both on the immediate level and ruminating on the themes and ideas the film presents. Where does the film stack up against Eggers’ previous work? Is Eggers’ our most Wolfian...
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Episode 27: The Sword and the Stone by TH White
The once and future king has come again to your ears as the round table boys are discussing TH White’s Arthurian masterpiece The Sword in the Stone being the first of the four books compiled as The Once and Future King. The book is so full of magic, humor, and heart that it was impossible to not...
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Episode 26: Uzumaki & Attack on Titan
Spirals and giants galor! We explore the wonderful and terrible worlds of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki and the excellent Attack on Titan. While very different in approach and scope, there are some very interesting parallels to explore and are otherwise but exemplary in their storytelling and overall…
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Episode 25: Fullmetal Alchemist & Hunter x Hunter
Prepare to make a circle and focus all your aura into your ears as we are diving DEEP into the wonderful worlds of Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (published 2001-2010) and Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi (published 1998-present). We also dip into the anime adaptations of both stories,...
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Episode 24: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Travel back in time with us to both the 19th and 6th centuries as we discuss Hank Morgan’s exploits in the dark ages of ye olde England in Mark Twain’s masterful science fiction satire A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. One of our most fun conversations yet. Give us a like and…
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Episode 23: Ursula of Ulm, an interview with JB Jackson
We welcome back author and friend of the pod, JB Jackson to discuss his recently released novel, Ursula of Ulm, the second installment in the De Re Doridica series of which five are planned. It’s hard to adequately express how much we’ve enjoyed getting to know JB through these interviews and…
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Episode 22: Between Two Fires
In this episode we dive into the horror filled 14th century French landscape that is Between Two Fires. We conduct a thorough plot overview and then work through themes of the book. This episode was dedicated to the memory of our dear friend Alyssa Lokits, who we toast at the beginning of the...
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Episode 21: Le Morte D'Arthur
Sir! It is time to have passing good cheer ‘round the (small) round table as we dive head first into the vast plentitude that is Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur. This conversation twists and turns into many a blind alley as we reckon with the mighty weight of Malory’s telling of the birth,...
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Episode 20: The Mabinogion
We wanted to take a moment to highlight Samaritan’s Purse and the work they are doing to help the recovery in Eastern Tennessee and North Carolina after the devastating flooding that took place. Donate here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/pray-for-those-in-helenes-path/ Also, all…
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Episode 19: Tower of the Elephant
From the confines of Smoker’s Abbey in East Nashville, Steven and Daniel (Sam is unfortunately away for this one) discuss Robert E Howard’s Sword & Sorcery masterpiece The Tower of the Elephant and then Gene Wolfe’s Six from Atlantis which is an homage to Howard and collected in the Sword &…
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Episode 18: The Authorial Godhand
In this episode we each reveal our authorial Godhand, giving the thumb, index, middle, ring, and pinky (basically a Berserk themed “top 5”). As we share a universal love of Tolkien and Gene Wolfe, those authors were highlighted by left out of the exercise (our Guts and Skull-Knight you could…
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Episode 17: the Wizard with James Wynn of Rereading Wolfe
Our second episode with James Wynn of the Rereading Wolfe to discuss Gene Wolfe’s fantasy masterpiece The Wizard which completes the duology that is The Wizard Knight. We get into wild speculation while also highlighting the sheer pleasure that this epic provides. In this episode we utilize the...
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Episode 16: The Knight with Rereading Wolfe
We are pleased to be joined by James Wynn of the Rereading Wolfe podcast to discuss Gene Wolfe’s fantasy epic The Knight, the first novel from his duology The Wizard Knight. We dive deep into the complex story (and in Wolfe fashion the story behind the story) while never steering away from the...
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Episode 15: Berserk
We finally give Berserk its due with a full spoiler-free but content rich episode on Kentaro Miura’s dark fantasy masterwork. Berserk is a classic work of seinen manga and we are just as thrilled to talk about it as we were to experience it. The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole…
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Episode 14: The Hero Battle Brackett
Hear ye! Hear ye! It is time for the Battle Bracket! We work through a violent thought-experiment asking the question, “who would be the victor in a combat tournament between sixteen selected heroes from the Sword & Sorcery / Heroic Fantasy series we’ve read over the past year?” The challengers...
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Episode 13: Rings of Power Season 2 Official Trailer, The First Sword & Sorcery Story: Lord Dunsany’s “The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth”
Episode 13: Rings of Power Season 2 Official Trailer, The First Sword & Sorcery Story: Lord Dunsany’s “The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth” In this episode we react to the new “official” trailer for Rings of Power season 2. Then we do a full breakdown and deep dive into Lord Dunsany’s...
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Episode 12: Robert Downey Jr Returns & Schuyler Hernstrom's The Gift of the Ob-men
While Sam is unfortunately absent from this episode, Steven and Daniel met at Smoker’s Abbey in East Nashville to discuss Robert Downey Jr’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom and then do a deep dive into Schuyler Hernstrom’s magnificent short story The Gift of the Ob-men, originally published in...
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Episode 11: JB Jackson & Shagduk
Episode 11: JB Jackson & Shagduk In this episode we interview JB Jackson, the author of Shagduk and the upcoming Ursula of Ulm, the second installment in the ongoing five book De re Dordica saga. We discuss his writing style and inspiration for Shagduk. Shagduk is an epistolary novel being…
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Episdoe 10: Underrated/Underread Authors & Build a D&D group
In this episode we discuss authors that we love that we feel either aren't as respected or aren't as widely read as they should be. Steven gets us kicked off with Lloyd Alexander and especially his Chronicles of Prydain series. Steven later talks about his admiration for Glen Cook and the...
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Episode 9: an interview with Scott Christian Sava
In this episode we interview Scott Christian Sava and delve into his history with art, design, and scifi/fantasy works, especially in comics. We talk about his affinity for Spider-man and Conan the Barbarian especially and his years spent seeking work at the early Comicons. We cover his work...
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Episode 8: World Building and 5 items for a Hobbit adventure
World building is a foundational aspect of fantasy and science fiction and in truth, all fiction. We discuss our preferences in the world, especially examining Tolkien in Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion, Gene Wolfe in the Book of the New Sun and Wizard Knight, Robert E Howard’s Conan…
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Episode 7: Pages vs Pacing & Sword & Sorcery Draft-a-Fellowship
Can books be too short or long? Or is pacing more important than pages? In this episode we discuss the importance and our preference for story length and focus. Is there a right answer? Listen to find out. Then, we draft a Lord of the Rings-style Fellowship, using a maximum of two characters from...
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Episode 6: Tropes We Love & Hate
Fantasy and Sci-fi for the most part are a series of interlinking tropes and overtures that combine and interplay to make an unique whole. In this episode we discuss those tropes that move us and exicte us each time they present themselves. We also dive into those that have us rolling our eyes…
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Episode 5: Robert E Howard & Gene Wolfe
What is there to say about Robert E Howard and Gene Wolfe? Well, in fact, quite a lot. In this episode we discuss the legendary Robert E Howard focusing on Conan, his most iconic creation and one of the pinnacles of fiction. Who is Conan and what does he represent? Then we discuss our feelings on...
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Episode 4: Manga, Anime, and our Book Club Itinerary
In this episode we discuss our histories with anime and our recent foray into reading manga. We talk about our impressions and general love form the form and go into a bit of detail on Berserk and Fullmetal Alchemist which we’ve read as a group and Hunter x Hunter which we are reading now. We…
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Episode 3: Talking 'The Hunt for Gollum,' Adaptations, and the Forbes Best 30 Book Series List
Episode 3: Talking 'The Hunt for Gollum,' Adaptations, and the Forbes Best 30 Book Series List In this episode, we discuss the recently announced *The Hunt for Gollum*, sorting through both trepidation and excitement at the announcement. This leads to a broader discussion of film adaptations and...
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Undertowers Podcast Episode 2
Talking Genre and Fantasy, Plus Our Top 10 Video Games In this episode, we discuss the concept of genre, exploring where it's helpful and where it's just marketing. Is fantasy a setting or a genre? How should books be categorized in a bookshop? Does it even matter all that much? We delve into…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Undertowers Podcast have?
Undertowers Podcast currently has 37 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Undertowers Podcast about?
three very old friends discuss all things science fiction and fantasy
How often does Undertowers Podcast release new episodes?
Undertowers Podcast has 37 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Undertowers Podcast?
You can listen to Undertowers Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Undertowers Podcast?
Undertowers Podcast is created and hosted by undertowerspodcast.
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