The Worldbuilder's Tavern
At The Worldbuilder's Tavern podcast, we like to kick back with a drink and chat about the storytelling in science fiction and fantasy books, movies, and TV shows. Your hosts are three nerds—writer Emma Maione, editor Allison Alexander, and academic Christiana Jones—who love breaking down tropes, examining plot, and questioning the status quo. If you write novels or just enjoy discussions about worldbuilding, you're in the right place.
Episodes
In this episode, we're talking about writing and worldbuilding in the paranormal romance novel Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.
- Proprietor's Pick: Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: ...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the children's fantasy (with vikings) movie How to Train Your Dragon.
- Proprietor's Pick: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by M...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the urban fantasy novel Jade City by Fonda Lee. (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Proprietor's Pick: The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: ...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the sci-fi alien invasion series Animorphs by K.A. Applegate.
- Proprietor's Pick: Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the fantasy novel The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.
- Proprietor's Pick: Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the gothic romance movie Crimson Peak.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website |...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the sci-fi/LitRPG novel Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Proprietor's Pick: The Wandering Inn by pirateaba
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: ...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the science fiction TV show Fringe.
- Proprietor's Pick: Recursion by Blake Crouch (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website | Discord | ...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the epic fantasy novel The Will of the Many by James Islington.
- Proprietor's Pick: Red Sister by Mark Lawrence (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links, we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern...
In this episode, we're talking about humour, worldbuilding, genre, and the animated TV showFuturama.
- Proprietor's Pick:I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm Trapped in a Rom-Comby Kimberly Lemming (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through this link we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit...
In this episode, we're talking about genre, the state of YA sci-fi in publishing, and the writing and worldbuilding in the young adult science fiction novel Skyward by Brandon Sanderson.
- Proprietor's Pick: Red Rising by Pierce Brown (Disclosure: we are a bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie book store!)
- Intro and outro music: &qu...
In this episode, we're talking about the worldbuilding in the Dungeons & Dragons RPG comedy Fantasy High: Freshman Year, which is a Dimension 20 show produced by Dropout TV.
- Proprietor's Pick: Highfire by Eoin Colfer (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through this link we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern&q...
In this episode, we're talking about the writing and worldbuilding in the fantasy novel Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher, and how the story feels like a fairy tale even though it is not a retelling.
- Proprietor's Pick: All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and...
In this episode, we're talking about the horror movie A Quiet Place.
- Proprietor's Pick: Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle and Birdbox by Michael Louis Calvillo (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website | ...
In this episode, we're talking about environmental sci-fi, ecological themes, children's literature, and the Disney movie Wall-E.
- Proprietor's Pick: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: ...
In this episode, we're talking about cozy science fiction and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
- Proprietor's Pick: Cascade Failure by L.M. Sagas (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: Website | ...
In this episode, we're talking about how horror and romance can go together (and whether cozy horror is a thing) in Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell.
- Proprietor's Pick: Voyage of the Damned by Frances White (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael...
In this episode, we're talking about deconstructing tropes, dark fairy tales, costs of magic, monsters, and more in the dark fantasy TV show The Witcher.
- Proprietor's Pick: Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the ...
In this episode, we're talking about the novella All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok...
In this episode, we're talking about how science and magic intertwine in the Netflix show Arcane.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart (Disclosure: we are a Bookshop.org affiliate, so if you purchase through these links we will earn a small commission AND you will support an indie bookstore!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok |...
Popular Podcasts
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
Latino USA is the longest-running news and culture radio program in the U.S. centering Latino stories, hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maria Hinojosa Every week, the Peabody winning team brings you revealing, in-depth stories about what’s in the hearts and minds of Latinos and their impact on the world. Want to support our independent journalism? Join Futuro+ for exclusive episodes, sneak peaks and behind-the-scenes chisme on Latino USA and all our podcasts. www.futuromediagroup.org/joinplus