Episode 61 - Spirit of the North

September 17, 2026 by Karlissa Koop in Fantastic Xenofiction

A fox on a quest across a Nordic landscape, defeating a haunting parasitic growth using the magical energy present in blue flowers: this is Spirit of the North, a video game from an indie publisher that has wilderness vibes and creative storytelling. Jason and Karlissa discuss this unique game and what they found inspiring about it, while also reflecting on the themes of paganism.

SPOILER WARNING! We refuse to spoil the end of the game, but we do spoil other parts.

Spirit of the North blog post:

https://www.book-bat.com/blog/2026/8/31/video-game-review-spirit-of-the-north

(0:00) Introduction

(0:43) Our video games growing up

(6:13) Let’s talk about a fox

(8:50) Summary of Spirit of the North

(11:59) Nonverbal storytelling and xenofiction

(16:05) Nature, the fantastical, and the spiritual

(18:33) Communicating emotion through setting

(21:46) Spiritual themes in the game

(28:25) Tolkien and Norse mythology

(32:14) What is the aim of Spirit of the North?

(34:05) A question for the fantasy author

(38:44) To Narnia and Beyond update

(40:51) Coming soon on the podcast

Have you played Spirit of the North? What did you think of the storytelling in this game? Let us know! You can leave a comment on our website at Book-Bat.com or email us at connect@book-bat.com.

Episode 53 - What Is Xenofiction?

February 19, 2026 by Karlissa Koop in Fantastic Xenofiction

Xenofiction - stories told from a nonhuman perspective - is all around us! In this episode, Karlissa and Jason explore the appeal of xenofiction from a writer’s perspective and dive into a few examples of xenofiction. They discuss… Does it matter that Superman is an alien? Are hobbits truly distinct from humans? And what’s up with the animosity between the human Dr. Eggman and animal-people like Sonic the hedgehog? And of course, Karlissa sneaks in a quote from C.S. Lewis!

Episode 52 - Xenofiction, Classic Fantasy, and More Books!

January 15, 2026 by Karlissa Koop

Welcome to 2026! Our main goals for the new year: release a book about Christian fantasy authors and talk about xenofiction!

For those who already knew what xenofiction is and how to pronounce it… sorry, we will aim to pronounce it correctly next episode! (“zehn” not “zeen”)

Learn more about To Narnia and Beyond: book-bat.com/nonfiction

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