What fantasy fan doesn't love a good quest narrative, especially one which features a broad cast of unlikely heroes, thrown together by events and a common goal? In fact, such narratives are not confined to High or Epic fantasy, but can be found in everything from low, dark or urban fantasy, to space opera to military sci-fi to historical fiction. The week the dragons delve into the appeal of this kind of story and the 'band of brothers' cast which usually accompanies it. How can modern SFF writers bend and subvert tropes and archetypes to tell a more diverse and engaging story? Do you even need a fantasy team for your tale at all? And what are the origins of this type of narrative? On the slab this week; Classical mythology, Lord of the Rings, The Kings of teh Wyld by Nicholas Eames and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Episode 353: High Fidelity and Historical Accuracy - Do Adaptations have a Duty to be Accurate
Episode 352: 2022 A Space Oddity - Sci-fi (& Fantasy) Tropes which Don’t Work
Episode 351: Picture This - Enhancing Scenes with the Right Frame in Speculative Fiction
Episode 350: When Pain Says No - Chronic Illness Representation in Speculative Fiction
Episode 349: The Stones Remember - Cursed Places of the UK
Episode 348: Written in Blood - Vampires of the UK and Ireland
Episode 347: Bat Beasts Kellas Cats and Wolf-men - Lesser Known Cryptids of Britain and Ireland Part 2
Episode 346: Wodewose, Owlman & Morag - Lesser Known Cryptids of Britain & Ireland
Episode 345: Once More with Feeling - The Successes and Failures of Musical Episodes in Genre TV Shows
Episode 344: Enough to Make a Cat Laugh - Tracing the Origins of Puss in Boots
Episode 343: Exiles, OutCasts and Outsiders - Solitary Villains and Isolated Heroes
Episode 342: Distant Fathers 2D Beefcakes and Tortured Villains - Sexist Tropes Against Men in Speculative Fiction
Episode 341: True Beauty is Found Within - Tracing the Origins of Beauty & the Beast
Episode 340: There is none so capable as Anne - Why we should celebrate gentle characters
Episode 339: You Can’t Take the Sky From Me - Weird Westerns and Why We love Them
Episode 338: There are Wolves in the Woods - What Folklore Can Teach Us About Storytelling
Episode 337: Relatable or Debateable - Avoiding Mediocre Main Characters in Speculative Fiction.
Episode 336: The Lesser of Two Evils - Creating Moral Dilemmas in Speculative Fiction
Episode 335: Cottage Core & Interdimensional Cafes - Cosy Speculative Fiction
Episode 334: Devotion, Betrayal & Misadventure - Queer Romance in Speculative Fiction
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Voice of Mushfik
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
Black Beauty
The Story of Mankind
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends