Tag Archives: Book Podcast

Ep082 – Epilogue

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Leave it to the Prose – the Epilogue

Leave it to the Prose is your podcast for science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction. Over the past three years Isaac and Reid have enjoyed sharing their reading journeys with everyone and thank you listeners for turning in. We cannot put into words how amazing the response has been to Leave it to the Prose. Originally hatched as a plan to read more and discuss critically the words on the page, Leave it to the Prose grew to be something more.

Thank you so much to our listeners as we say goodbye for now; and until we meet again.

Keep reading!

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Ep081 – 2021 Review 2022 Look Ahead

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2021 Review and 2022 Look Ahead

Leave it to the Prose is your podcast for science fiction and fantasy discussion. We bring the perspective of a reader and a writer to discuss what works and doesn’t work in storytelling fantastical fiction.

2021 Review

2021 was another big year for Leave it to the Prose, featuring in depth analysis and discussion of contemporary and classic works. The year started out with a discussion of middle grade books, and books which got Isaac and Reid into speculative fiction. We read through the first works of Deltora Quest, Animorphs, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and The Giver cycle. These works allowed us to reflect on those memorable moments where fantasy and science fiction entered our childhood, as well as gain a greater appreciation for the depth of work required to write for a younger audience.

2021 features our first series discussion, and Leave it to the Prose: The Next Chapter went through the first three books in the Red Rising Saga. The Next Chapter dove into the dramatic downturns of Golden Sun, and the triumphant rise of Morning Star.

We discussed contemporary works such as The Poppy War and Dreadnought. We also read The Unbroken very close to its release!

We went back in time. We celebrated our 75th episode with The Hobbit. We went back to Brave New World. And just a generation ago to the groundbreaking works of House of Spirits, Dragonflight, and Magic’s Pawn.

Upcoming 2022 Look Ahead

2021 was a great year for Leave it to the Prose, but it was also an exhausting one. As many listeners know it is a lot to juggle work, life, hobbies, and more; and as such Leave it to the Prose is modifying the 2022 plan. Isaac and Reid wish to keep the podcast going, and, in looking through the stories we most enjoyed, we landed on a complete read through of Deltora Quest starting in April. January through March will feature re-releases of some of our favorite discussions from 2019 and 2020, and then in April we will begin new content beginning with book 2 of the Deltora Quest series: The Lake of Tears.

Join us in 2022 as we read through Deltora Quest!

Leave it to the Prose

Leave it to the Prose is your book discussion podcast dedicated to science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction. In 2021 we read a variety of stories featured below:

  • The Forests of Silence by Emily Rodda
  • The Invasion by K.A. Applegate
  • The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry
  • Macbeth by William Shakespeare
  • Golden Son by Pierce Brown
  • Fantasy Magazine Issue 63 Read-Through
  • Morning Star by Pierce Brown
  • The Vaporization Enthralpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family and The Wandering City by Usman T Malik
  • The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
  • The Glass Bottle Trick and Old Habits by Nalo Hopkinson
  • Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
  • The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
  • The Dead, In Their Uncontrollable Power; The Two Bullet War; and Cratered by Karen Osborne
  • Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
  • Dead at the Feet of a God; Pattern Recognition; and Like Birdsong, the Memory of Your Touch by Izzy Wasserstein
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
  • All Systems Red by Martha Wells
  • Dreadnought by April Daniels
  • The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
  • House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
  • Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey
  • 2021 Hugo Award Short Story Nominees
  • The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wesker
  • And then there were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker

 

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Ep075 – The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

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The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Before Lord of the Rings there was The Hobbit. To many The Hobbit is the cornerstone work of fantasy writing, introducing readers to the high fantasy realm of Middle Earth. JRR Tolkien originally published The Hobbit in 1937 and ever since it has remained among the popular works of fantasy. The Hobbit is the story of a hobbit who is accompanied by many dwarves to get to an ancient dwarven kingdom and reclaim a treasure.

Discussed this episode

  • Episodic Nature. The Hobbit in many ways follows an episodic structure where each chapter has little to do with one another besides that every encounter that occurs is on the path towards The Lonely Mountain. Every 40 pages the dwarves encounter a new enemy or puzzle and it is either their over powered wizard or tiny hobbit that saves the day.
  • Narrative Voice. The story is told by a storyteller, who at times breaks the forth wall to explain certain details of the world. In the beginning hobbits are explained, and then later on ways of elves and dwarves and men and dragons. The Hobbit plays to a younger audience because there is helper text that the storyteller is happy to dive into.
  • What is focused on. There are interesting choices that Tolkien makes when diving into details. For example the dwarves encounter a stash of ancient swords, of which two are given powerful names. Gondolin as an ancient elven kingdom is mentioned. There is an old raven. But the elven king doesn’t get a name (within the text). It is interesting how there are certain aspects of the larger wold Tolkien chooses to intertwine within this story and what elements are left out.

Also Discussed

  • This is not our first work of Tolkien discussed, do check out our episode on The Fall of Gondolin.

Upcoming Episodes

  • 10/25 – House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende Part 1.
  • 11/1 – House of the Spirits Part 2.
  • 11/8 – Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey

Leave it to the Prose

We are leave it to the prose, a book discussion podcast where we break down the critical aspects of a work of fiction from a reader and writer perspective.

 

 

 

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Ep074 – Dreadnought by April Daniels

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Dreadnought by April Daniels

A modern superhero story. Dreadnought features Danny, our protagonist who gets the superhero mantel thrust upon her. But with the mantel came a body change. Danny physically become a woman, her ideal body. The story of Dreadnought follows Danny as she deals with the good and bad of not only having to take up the role of the most powerful superhero in the world but also coming out as a trans woman.

Discussed this Episode

  • The A and B plots
    • The A plot is a typical superhero mystery story. Who killed Dreadnought? How do we find the killer? In the A plot we explore why Danny wants to be a hero, how Danny seeks to be and do good.
    • The B plot is different from the typical superhero story. Typical superhero origin stories follow a character wanting to return to normalcy, but the mantel gives Danny her ideal body. Danny does not want to go back. The B plot follows Danny’s transition and her family’s reaction to her becoming a woman.
  • Danny’s very real story
    • How do you tell a real story? Use honesty. Within the B plot Danny is not accepted at home, but there are contradictions within this non-acceptance. For example Danny has a good scene with her mother when they go bra shopping, and suddenly the mother could be a supportive figure.
    • The B story is a retelling of many coming out stories. From initial hinting from Danny to the final confrontation where the parents say the all too real “how could you make this decision about us.” These are lines taken from real life.
    • Those who have gone through a coming out story will find validation in this book. Those who have not gone through a coming out story will experience first hand the frustrations, sadnesses, and triumphs of fighting to be yourself

 

Leave it to the Prose

We are leave it to the prose, a book discussion podcast where we break down the critical aspects of a work of fiction from a reader and writer perspective.

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Ep073 – All Systems Red by Martha Wells

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All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Martha Wells is an accomplished author, active since 1993. All Systems Red is the first work in the Murderbot series, a series that follows Murderbot as they are the security unit on a seemingly harmless planet. Of course the planet is not as harmless as it was reported to be, and as such a mystery unfolds as the scientist come into conflict with another dangerous faction on the planet. All Systems Red won the Hugo and Nebula Award for Best Novella.

Discussed This Episode

  • What makes an award-winning work? – How Murderbot Shines.
    • All Systems Red contains a fine story, but the character of Murderbot shines through. Murderbot is an incredibly awkward security (killing-machine) robot, which stands in stark contrast to the assumption of what the reader would assume to be a murder-machine.
    • Murderbot is shown in various social situations where expectations of the scientists and Murderbot are on very different views. For example, the scientists believe that Murderbot would be more comfortable not wearing their helmet, but in fact Murderbot would prefer to wear their helmet. We see a growth in character as Murderbot slowly becomes more comfortable with the scientists. Especially in the beginning we get shown moments of Murderbot saying or acting in the wrong way, and feel the social cringe of how Murderbot would just want to go back to their cube and disappear.
    • The awkward feelings of Murderbot are often conveyed through extended monologues in Murderbot’s narrative of over analyzing the situation. We feel Murderbot’s extended train of thought, following the anxiety of the social interactions.
  • The growth of Murderbot
    • Through the reactions Murderbot has to the environment around them, we see Murderbot change their behavior; but Murderbot’s growth is shown through reactions and not necessarily like the traditional arc where Murderbot is the active decision choice.
    • Reactions of Murderbot transitions from “I am here for this contract” to “I don’t want to be beholden to a contract.”
    • The model of Agency/Capability/Likability change: Agency changes from Murderbot having no agency to more agency.

Also Mentioned in this Episode

Upcoming Episodes

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Ep055 Leave it to the Prose 2021

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Leave it to the Prose, Your Podcast for Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature

Leave it to the Prose is your podcast for science fiction and fantasy literature. We bring the perspective of a writer (Reid) and a reader (Isaac) to critically discuss science fiction and fantasy works. In this episode we look back at 2020 and ahead into 2021.

Looking back in 2020 a few themes stand out: short stories; comedy and horror, and length of works. In 2020 we expanded our short story repertoire, beginning with several discussions of award winning short stories to our read through of Uncanny Magazine and continuing to our discussion of the Hugo Award Finalists. For comedy and horror our discussion grew from how similar beat structures could be tailored to one genre to the other. And finally we have a plethora of short and long works to discuss how science fiction and fantasy can be conveyed regardless of length.

Looking ahead to 2021

Our first episodes:

  • January The Forests of Silence (Deltora Quest book 1) by Emily Rodda
  • The Invasion (Animorphs book 1) by K.A. Applegate
  • The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

Other episodes to look forward to include our discussion of the 2021 The Hugo Award Short Story Finalists (after they are announced). “The Buried Giant” by Kazuo Ishiguro and “The Poppy War” by R.F. Kuang.

Leave it to the Prose: The Next Chapter

Announcing Leave it the Prose: The Next Chapter! An occasional sequel series. Our first series will be the Red Rising Trilogy (Red Rising, Golden Son, and Morning Star) by Pierce Brown. This sequel series will air on the alternate weeks of the regularly scheduled Leave it to the Prose episodes. The Next Chapter will provide space to discuss character development and plot structure that spans multiple books.

Our favorite podcast episodes and works read of 2020

Other works mentioned

  • “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” by Lori Gottlieb.
  • “Empire of Imagination” by Michael Witwer.

 

 

 

 

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Ep029 Leave It To The Prose – Year One Finale Year Two Teaser

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Leave It To The Prose

Leave It To The Prose, your podcast for science fiction, fantasy fiction, and speculative fiction. Every other week we discuss one or more works of speculative fiction and dive into how this work conveys character, plot, tone, and the fundamentals of storytelling.

In this Episode we look back at 2019 and provide a preview for what is to come in 2020. There will be no break in episode releases and we will continue to release episodes every other week in 2020, with our first works of 2020 focusing on shorter fiction, including With Morning Comes Mistfall by George RR Martin, The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, Lord Moon by Jane Beauclerk, and “Repent Harlequin!” Said the TickTockMan by Harlan Ellison.

We have had a lot of fun as a book podcast this past year discussing the works of science fiction, fantasy fiction, and speculative fiction. We have explored several categorizations of these genres that blur the line between science fiction and fantasy.

We discussed formative works of science fiction fantasy, such as Foundation by Isaac Asimov and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin. We found a fairytale and folktale sub-genre in the works of Amal El-Mohtar’s Seasons of Glass and Iron, Washington Irving’s The Devil and Tom Walker,JRR Tolkien’s Fall of Gondolin, and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. We read popular works such as Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, Neal Shusterman’s Scythe, and Sarah J Maas’s Throne of Glass. We read contemporary works that are revolutionizing the genre, such as The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin, Semiosis by Sue Burke, and Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse. We have explored the hearts of Robots in Elizabeth Bear’s Tideline, and Vina Jie-Min Prasad’s Fandom for Robots.

We have had an exciting year, and coming up we have much more science fiction and fantasy for all of you! Stay posted on Twitter and Instagram as we announce what is coming up in the new year! Happy 2020, and keep reading science fiction fantasy!

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