Episode 43 – Interview with Fantasy Author H.M. Richardson

Karlissa J is joined by Heidi Richardson, Canadian author of the Tower of the Deep series, to discuss what inspired her to write, why she chose to write fantasy, and some strategies she used in creating her fantasy world.

 

Synopsis for book one, The Prisoner and the Traitor:

Hennelyn is only fourteen, born into a fierce, warlike race – the Starkhons. Her father, General Tai Kanow, has orders to conquer and enslave the remaining indigenous people who are still living free on the prairie toes of a beautiful mountain range west of the established Starkhon territories. These small people who were first in this land call themselves Bunjis.

But Hennelyn is also the daughter of a woman from Luina, whose people are peaceful and kind. After being put in charge of her father’s first captured Bunji in their prairie outpost, Hennelyn finds herself drawn to the young man. She feels a need to act – but which legacy should she choose, her father’s or her mother’s?

The bunji’s life is in her hands. She must decide what to do… even if her chosen path costs her everything.

 

Visit Heidi’s Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Heidi-Richardson/author/B09QLW84NS?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Episode 41 - Superheroes, Comics, and Fantasy... oh my!

Time to nerd out! When is a superhero story not a superhero story? Jason is given the chance to gush about one of his favourite subjects as he and Karlissa J discuss movies, shows, comics, Batman, Spiderman, and even Shadow the Hedgehog.

Join the conversation!

What is your favourite superhero story? Let us know in the comments!

Episode 37 - Animal Stories

Karlissa has recently read Watership Down (Richard Adams), so we’re going to talk about novels with animal protagonists, with a focus on the rabbit tale – including thoughts about the movie!

New vocabulary: Animal Xenofiction (stories told from the perspective of an animal)

Books Mentioned: Warriors (Erin Hunter), Redwall (Brian Jacques), Guardians of Ga’Hoole (Katherine Lasky), Silverwing (Kenneth Oppel), The Incredible Journey (Sheila Burnfield), Jim Kjelgaard books, Walt Morey books, Sonic the Hedgehog stories, The Ark, the Reed, and the Fire Cloud (Jenny L. Cote), Runt the Brave (Daniel Schwabauer), The Green Ember (S.D. Smith).

Join the conversation!

What is your favourite animal-led novel? Let us know in the comments!

Episode 26 - Books We Used to Like

Jason and Karlissa talk about how they got into fantasy, books they haven’t read in a while, books they finished reading recently, and the books they are working on writing!

Recent books read: “Thrawn Treason” (Timothy Zahn), “Rewriting Adam” (Connie Mae Inglis), “JRR Tolkien: the Mind Behind the Rings” (Mark Horne), “The Woodcutter” (Lorn Wolf), “A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War” (Joseph Loconte), and “Let the Ghosts Speak” (Bryan Davis).

Episode 14 - 10 Facts About J.R.R. Tolkien

Karlissa came up with a list of ten fun things to say about John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings, among other books!

Resources mentioned: the CS Lewis Podcast with Alister McGrath; J.R.R. Tolkien’s letter to Milton Waldman; “On Fairy Stories” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Jason Fisher’s Article “Reluctantly Inspired: George MacDonald and J.R.R. Tolkien”: https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/northwind/vol25/iss1/8/

Episode 10 - Where to Find Fantasy

Jason tells the story of how he discovered Brian Jacques’ Redwall series; then he and Karlissa give some ideas on where to find fantasy books.

Books Mentioned and Corrections: The Heart of George MacDonald (edited by George MacDonald scholar Rolland Hein), The Gospel According to Tolkien (Ralph C. Wood), The Green Ember (S.D. Smith), Tales from the Perilous Realm (J.R.R. Tolkien).

This episode is from back when the Book-Bat podcast was focused on Christian fantasy books. Visit book-bat.com/about to learn more about who we are and our goals for the podcast!

Join the Conversation!

Where did you discover your favourite fantasy novel? Let us know in the comments!

Episode 9 - Underrated Books

Karlissa and Jason share their lists of fantasy books that deserve more attention: forgotten books from renowned authors, personal favourites, and recognized classics that are just hard to market.

Recommended books: Phantastes (George MacDonald), The Children of Hurin (J.R.R. Tolkien), Lilith (George MacDonald), The Thrawn Trilogy (Timothy Zahn), Out of the Silent Planet (C.S. Lewis), Tales of the Diversity trilogy (Karlissa J.), Till We Have Faces (C.S. Lewis).

Resource mentioned: The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis (Jason M. Baxter).

This episode is from back when the Book-Bat podcast was focused on Christian fantasy books. Visit book-bat.com/about to learn more about who we are and our goals for the podcast!

Join the Conversation!

What fantasy books, Christian or otherwise, do you think are underrated? Let us know in the comments!

Episode 8 - Manga, Graphic Novels & Comic Books

What is manga? What makes it similar to our comic books and graphic novels, and what’s different? And why is Christian media largely lacking in graphic novels and the like?

Main resource:  New York Public Library - https://www.nypl.org/blog/2018/12/27/beginners-guide-manga

This episode is from back when the Book-Bat podcast was focused on Christian fantasy books. Visit book-bat.com/about to learn more about who we are and our goals for the podcast!