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 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 |...
This season, we're introducing a new type of bonus episodes for our patrons: worldbuilding workshops! In these episodes, the hosts pick an element of a world and build it together. You can use whatever we build for your own stories, or take the questions we ask and build your own.
These monthly bonus episodes are exclusive to our Patreon, but the first is free for everyone to listen to!
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" b...
In this episode, we're talking about superpowers, secret identities, and characterization in the Netflix show The Umbrella Academy.
- Proprietor's Pick: 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!)
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: ...
Season 3 is coming! We've added a couple new segments and will be talking about worldbuilding through the lens of genre.
- Intro and outro music: "The Tavern" by Michael Ghelfi
- Visit the Tavern: TikTok | Discord
- Access bonus content and support us on Patreon
In this episode, we're talking about humour, character arcs, prologues, pirate mythology, and more in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
- Proprietor's Pick: The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (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 Mic...
In this episode, we're talking about mechs, feminism, disability representation, and more in the novel Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.
- Proprietor's Pick: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang (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: ...
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