Fantasy For Our Time

In this special (and long-promised) episode of Fantasy for Our Time, I dive helmet-first into the final installment of Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy—a.k.a. the Holy Scripture of Grimdark™ (depending who you ask). I wrestle with berserkers, battle ideologies, and gently poke the gnarled problem of evil with a theological stick.

Greetings, fellow fantasy fanatics and lore lovers!

Imagine this: Catholic aliens show up on Earth, but instead of demanding our surrender, they want to set up a Mass. Yep, you heard that right. In today's conversation, I sit down with debut author M.R. Leonard, the brilliant mind behind Pilgrims, a sci-fi novel that reimagines St. Augustine's Confessions with aliens, interstellar drama, and a hearty dose of existential wonder. We dive into Michael's journey from corporate law to creative writing, discuss the audacious concept of Catholic aliens, and unpack the philosophical depth and humor baked into his fast-paced thriller. From world religions to the meaning of life in the galaxy, this discussion is out of this world. Literally.  ⏰ Timestamps: 0:00 – Welcome & Intro: Forks in the road—Star Trek or spirituality? 5:32 – Reading slumps & finding Pilgrims: A fresh narrative twist. 12:45 – Meet M.R. Leonard: From Boston College to self-published stardom. 18:12 – China, MBA life, and the big creative pivot. 25:10 – Catholic aliens?! The genesis of a groundbreaking premise. 35:47 – Virgil, Augustine, and writing the perfect “airport thriller.” 42:00 – Alien theology: Sacraments in space? 50:15 – The sci-fi genre's future—grounded yet limitless.

Today, we embark on a perilous journey into the world of Grimdark fantasy, where heroes are fools, victories are tragic, and morality is as murky as a tavern's back alley. After years of avoiding the genre, I finally took the plunge and read Joe Abercrombie's Before They Are Hanged—the second book in The First Law trilogy. And what did I discover? A failed quest that somehow became one of the most unexpectedly profound fantasy narratives I've encountered. Why do we need failed quest narratives? How do they console us in a world obsessed with relentless achievement? And what does this mean for epic fantasy, The Hero's Journey, and even my own book, The Song of the Sirin? Let's discuss.   ⏰ Timestamps: 0:00 – Welcome to the Studio: My Grimdark Adventure Continues 2:15 – Why I Avoided Grimdark for So Long 4:38 – Before They Are Hanged and the Quest That (Gloriously) Failed 8:22 – Giselle Dan Luthor: A Fool's Journey to Something Like Wisdom 12:47 – The Unexpected Consolation of Grimdark 17:02 – Lord of the Rings as a Failed Quest (And Why That's Brilliant) 20:10 – My Own Novel's Failed Quest and Why It Matters 22:01 – Final Thoughts & What's Next in the Grimdark Discussion

At the time of this recording, it was my birthday, and - in true Hobbit fashion - I'm giving YOU the gift of diving into the vast deserts of Dune with the always insightful Richard Rohlin! In this impromptu episode, we're unpacking Denis Villeneuve's Dune films—praising the awe-inspiring visuals, iconic performances, and meticulous attention to detail in part one while grappling with the pacing, missing lore, and religious undertones in part two. From the pulse-pounding shield fighting to the enigma of spice and its place in Frank Herbert's epic world-building, we tackle it all. We discuss Paul Atreides' journey, the complexities of messianic archetypes, and whether Dune truly captures Herbert's layered philosophical and ecological themes—or if Hollywood just can't do religion justice. Plus, there's plenty of nerdery, from Warhammer 40K parallels to pondering the real Kwisatz Haderach (hint: Duncan Idaho fans, this one's for you).

What if the universe isn't just vast and indifferent but actively hostile—a cosmic battlefield where silence is survival? Welcome, friends, to an exploration of The Dark Forest, the second volume in Liu Cixin's masterful Three-Body Problem series.

This is a special repost of one of my Craftsman's Workshop Patreon streams, where I dive deep into a pivotal question: What makes a story truly life-giving?

Join me as I dive into Shards of Honor, the first book in The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold!

Welcome, fellow book lovers and sci-fi enthusiasts! In this video, I have the absolute pleasure of chatting with none other than Adrian Tchaikovsky—an international sensation and the brilliant mind behind Children of Time. This conversation is a treat as we dive into Adrian's creative journey, his love for speculative fiction, and, of course, how a weird book about giant space spiders launched his entire career! From his science background to his fascination with spider evolution (yes, really!), Adrian shares how Children of Time almost didn't see the light of day, but then skyrocketed to success, winning awards and readers' hearts alike.

Hello, fellow wanderers!

Hey dear friends! In this video, Richard and I dive deep into the evolving worlds of science fiction and fantasy. From Tolkien's carefully restrained magic to today's cosmic horror and existential threats, we explore how modern storytellers like Adrian Tchaikovsky are pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human in a vast, often terrifying universe.

Could this be the Star Wars of our time?! . . . .  no. Definitely not.    Together, Richard and I discuss the final episode of The Rings of Power and, yet again, it's mostly a ranting session. It seems as though this entire venture has been set up as a cinematic prequel to the Peter Jackson films, and - if that's the case - it's supremely disappointing.    It's clear that the writers don't trust their audience. Between the wizard dual and the way in which Galadriel has done nothing essential to the plot, there seems to be a sense that, as long as they're writing about something "worthwhile", quality doesn't matter. There also seems to be some attempt to articulate a theological vision, but it's lacking. The pacing is arrhythmic and strange. Seemingly there is some effort to be reminiscent of medieval storytelling, but it falls short.    Also, what's with all of the sympathy for the devil? This, above everything else, is a departure from Tolkien. This seems to be an issue of art vs propaganda disguised as entertainment.    Will we watch season 2? We'll see . . . maybe we should just focus on Andor.   

In this episode, dear friend Richard Rohlin and I continue our discussion on  The Rings of Power, picking up with episodes 6 and 7. We try to open up by focusing on the positives, but, as per usual, chaos ensues! While there does seem to be minimal progress in the maturation of the show and its characters, we still see forced romantic tensions where friendship would do - is this a painful display of our current culture? Yes.  After a large detour where we blame Peter Jackson for everything, criticize cinematography, and obsess over Christian Bale for some reason, we finally get to the question of why the showrunners are so obsessed with the Orcs? The creators of the show are very keen on giving these characters, evil characters, a culture, and a story covered in optimism while they clearly give characters like the elves a pessimistic treatment, portraying them as the antagonist oppressors. Again, has society inverted so far as to make this a normal means of storytelling? Yes.  At last, we close with some predictions and hot takes. Please, let us be wrong!

Once again I'm joined by Richard Rohlin for a lively discussion about the Rings of Power! Together we discuss . . . well, many things; but, perhaps most peculiarly, whether elves are more like rechargeable batteries or glow-in-the-dark frisbees.  While the series is wrought with problematic elements, we do manage to find genuine moments of delight. Design, art, music, and story - all give us some consolation. Seeing the writers allow an active god to be the motivation for a character is a huge deal! The ultimate question we must ask ourselves throughout this show is, would this authentically fit in the Tolkien legendarium? There are many issues within each episode where it seems that the writers are trying to build a tower with no foundation, reducing the mythos to the bare minimum and making tone-deaf statements about current politics.  While we may be hyper-critical of the show, we hope you find some encouraging material to enhance your reading of Tolkien.   

At last, what you've all been waiting for . . . I discuss The Rings of Power!  My friend Richard Rohlin joins me for a wonderful conversation about the new series: what we like, what we don't like. Like so many of us, I was set up to hate the show on the front end; however, I must say - it's not THAT bad.  Sure, parts of it feel like an AI rendering of a Tolkien story. Sure, the show has little grasp on symbolism or transcendence. Sure, there are issues with conflicting types of journeys. But, all in all, I did find myself rooted in this world and even moved at certain points.  If you've been hesitant to give it a watch, I say go for it. As this is the first installment of my series on The Rings of Power, make sure you come back to work through it with us next time.  Oh, and, yes, every episode from here on out will be fresh, exciting content - I even open up with some life updates from yours truly. I will be having plenty of adventures coming up!

This is the final video of my series on accepting unexpected hardships and using stories to help overcome them in a lasting way. Using Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings as our model, we've finally come to the crux of the matter. Time to accept our quest. But this is a delicate and difficult thing. It can only be done after you've finished the first six steps of becoming a deeper person. And there are plenty of temptations to power and pride along the way. As usual, Russian fairy tales give us subtle and wise guideposts on how to extend our deep hearts outward to others and accept our quest to live the deep life, as Aragorn did, with humility and purpose.

Welcome to week three of our series exploring how good stories can help us survive difficulty and come out stronger, living a deeper and more fulfilling life. In our first two videos, we discussed how to find a mentor and the importance of solitude for the deep life. Continuing using Aragorn's life as a model, we're entering the danger zone: how to engage with ideas you don't like or disagree with. This can be like entering the woods of Baba Yaga in the Russian fairy tales. And so, no surprise, the stories can help us a great deal in getting through this particularly dark wilderness...

Welcome to the second episode in my series on finding resilience and courage during unexpectedly difficult times, all through the wisdom of fairy tales and classic literature. Last week, we discussed how we can find a mentor. But find him or not, the next step in overcoming difficulties is harder. We must embrace solitude. The stories have much to say about this, but not all of what they say is easy to hear...

In an age of information overload, we need, more than ever, to find someone to help us make sense of it all. But there are self-proclaimed experts, life coaches, and just plain hucksters everywhere! What're we to do? Well, maybe we need to take a page out of Russian fairy tales. Just as Ivan the Prince found his frog princess in a swamp, our answers just might be found in the place we least expect... In this episode, I talk about expert fatigue, our desire to optimize everything and how it might be impacting our lives negatively, and how stories teach us the proper way of working on ourselves so that when the mentor we need does show up, we're ready to listen.

One of the biggest questions of our age is what we are to make of ourselves in a post-pandemic reality. If we allow it, hardship can unlock a deeply satisfying way of living; however, it requires an ability to live in the tension of survival and progress. When we are no longer reacting, there comes a moment where we commit to transforming our life into something deeper. In this episode, I'll look at Aragorn, son of Arathorn, King of Gondor and Arnor, and share 7 lessons from his life story that can help us complete this transformative quest. 

We all have questions about what is the right way to live. Popular narratives seem to push a worldview of self-preservation no matter the cost. Is it better to avoid danger and difficulty? In our family lives? In our spiritual lives?  Choosing the difficult path and engaging in self-sacrificial behavior benefits those around us. This is the story of history's greatest saints from time immemorial. As the world continuously goes deeper into insanity right outside our own windows, we need to rethink how we relate to it.  Today I look back on what Lord of the Rings taught me about embracing difficulty. When we find Sam & Frodo in the seemingly hopeless situation of Mordor, they don't shy away from it. Why? Sam recognizes this path is the right one because of the stories he read growing up. 

I've noticed a trend in entertainment recently. It seems as though some strange anachronistic lens has been placed over history regarding faith and religion. People of a Christian faith are often depicted as weak and feeble, while people of pagan religions are shown as powerful and successful.  Why does entertainment depict the Christian God as effeminate and impotent but the pagan god(s) with power? Where is the honesty of history, showing the reality of faith in all people in the ancient world? Martyrdom and bravery - across the board - were rather ubiquitous.  Don't get me wrong, I am a man of conviction; however, I think what we need is a nuanced, balanced approach to stories. We need to see an authentic battle between light and dark. We need to see the reality that all sides of the spiritual equation are laden with some level of power (for why else would anyone put their faith in them?) We need complex characters with a message of hope that doesn't preach.    

Today, I continue my examination of time in fantasy and sci-fi literature. What is time? Is it a line, a circle, or some combination thereof?  Historically there are many ways to view it and interact with it; modernity seems to be much more concerned with managing it than experiencing it. Our current approach to time seems to be a revival of stoicism with a twist of fatalism.  The 2016 movie Arrival has a fascinating treatment of time which left me pondering how God's relation to time comes into play and those classic questions of human free will.  Ultimately, it seems that - given omniscience - it is still better to experience life as it is. The acceptance of reality is liberating and beautiful.  When asked what we would do if we knew every event in our lives before it happened, I hope we would all answer the same: I think I would love everyone a little bit more.

Today, in this old recording from 2019, I present an honest look at the concept of time as I reflect on a few pieces of fantasy literature. More specifically, we look at the idea of cyclical time and how it presents a highly depressing worldview where there is little to no way to redeem your own personal journey or that of your society, race, or anything. One where you are doomed to repeat past mistakes and forced to adhere to the pattern woven by the wheel of time. The only way to escape it . . . is to destroy it.  Now let's juxtapose this with, say, a Christian view of time (one which Tolkien espouses beautifully in LOTR, by the way) where time is a helix, a constant progression in a circular motion with an ultimate end in the eschaton. Here free will reigns and redemption is possible.  I've found that most people today view time in the first way - a constricting reality that forces us into certain boxes. Yet, the irony is that we are more fixated on choice than ever before. What is identity? Is it fated or is it chosen?  Perhaps this is why we need to read good fantasy literature more than ever. We don't need mere escapism; we need hope. 

Here's another throwback episode where I have an absolutely fascinating conversation with my friend Christian Cameron. Together we discuss a wide swath of topics including medieval cooking, wrestling, weapons, pilgrimages, pastries, armizare, and plenty of other fascinating stuff.  We also dig into our shared love of history and some insider writing tips. Perhaps what makes this conversation so timely is the way that Christian interacts with the concepts of darkness and violence in storytelling right as I conclude my podcast series on the same thing. 

What does it mean to be human? How do we interact with the Divine or find meaning in a universe that sometimes seems completely devoid of meaning?   It used to be that fantasy was the genre that most aptly responded to these monumental questions, yet I've realized that this is no longer the case!   I've found that it is actually the contemporary, secular, anti-Christian storytellers who are doing the best job right now at being honest and compelling about the questions of man's encounter with the unknown, the Divine, the transcendent.

When is the violence we see on our screen or read in our books too much? There is no denying an increase in violence in our world and the usual scapegoat for such a thing is the media we consume; but, is modern media truly more violent than that of the past, or is it just of a different kind altogether? For example, The Iliad has more than its fair share of violent dismemberment, but it is considered a classic. The reaction to this - at least in American subculture - is a push for "clean media" where all traces of violence or overt sexuality are eradicated altogether. The problem with this is that exposure to only clean media leaves you devoid of an internal apparatus with which to deal with the very real violence you find yourself facing in life.  The reality of literature (and media) allows us to connect to real life; however, the unreality of literature allows us to hold things like violence at a distance and examine, and assess them. Why do poets want to write tragedy when the world is so full of it anyway? The answer: in order to become authentically human, we must encounter the darkness in an environment that is controlled, which allows us to deal with it in a way that is far less dangerous than if we were to come up against it in real life. Add the layer in fantasy literature of having this fictional violence happen in a world that is wholly unlike the real world and now you have a vehicle for communal catharsis. The goal is to create an energy of repudiation in those who watch, read, and consume rather than one of titillation.    

Whatever happened to the good old days when we recognized that some things are ugly, some things are monsters and you can't fix them? In this episode, I address the increasingly prevalent phenomenon of cute monsters in fiction and why it is a symptom of a more significant breakdown of a concrete worldview in society. Monsters without teeth are really just a way to say that there is no such thing as evil; there is only misunderstanding. The minimization of all monstrosity to nothing but a lack of tolerant understanding removes the task of human self-examination, seeing the potential of evil inside of us, and having the hope for redemption. Malevolence is a force, simmering under the surface of all humans, and it is real.   

Should we avoid violence in media? Are certain portrayals of violence in media better for us than others?   This week I continue our discussion on violence as I examine Mat Reeves' The Batman. Every iteration of Batman is an expression of very different eras of American history, from the campy, sometimes silly Batman of the 60's to the bleak and, dare I say, hopeless Batman of 2022.   We live in a very strange time, and Reeves' depiction of Batman directly reflects the zeitgeist in which we find ourselves. A loss of institutions, social capital, and shared stories has left us with a dark reality; however, as we see, any kind of encounter with the darkness cannot be successfully overcome, except by an act of self-sacrifice.    Perhaps there is hope after all. 

Time, despite my best efforts to conquer it, has, yet again, conquered me! In all of my busyness, I wasn't able to sit down and record my next podcast so, in lieu of a fresh episode this week, I figured I would take this opportunity to share an audiobook chapter from my Raven Son series.   Here is a description of the book:   An evil omen clouds the sky. A song of power returns. Can one man's quest save the world? Voran, a young warrior of Vasyllia, lives in a dying world. As blight ravages the countryside and darkness covers the sun, he can't avoid hearing the rumors of an ancient spirit that devours souls. He feels powerless to fight the oncoming devastation until a mythical creature entrusts him with a long-forgotten song. Legend has it that such a song can heal the masses, overthrow kingdoms, and raise humans to divine beings… Armed with the power of the song, Voran must hunt down the dark spirit before it achieves its goal of immortality. His quest takes him through doorways to other worlds and puts him on a collision course with seductive nymphs and riddling giants. With each step of the journey, the strength of the villainous spirit grows, as does Voran's fear that the only way to save his world… is to let it be destroyed. The Song of the Sirin is an epic fantasy retelling of the Russian fairy tale Prince Ivan and the Grey Wolf. If you like complex characters, creative twists on mythology, and cinematic world-building, then you'll love Nicholas Kotar's sweeping tale.

Isn't empathy a good thing? Well, yes. In moderation. But we seem to live in a world where immoderate empathy is causing widespread victimhood. And our stories are reflecting this strange reality.

In this throwback episode, I officially get publicly and loudly angry about The Last Jedi. Seriously, though, paying homage to those masters who came before you is probably a better strategy than... whatever the heck the Last Jedi was... But this is more than Star Wars, people. I'm talking about the best new Sci-fi series I've read in a long time, the thing I WISH Star Wars would be more like. It's called The Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruochhio. 

In this wide-ranging conversation with YA author Vesper Stamper, we talk about the power of story, the ways trauma can lead to suffering, but how it can be a gift and can make the sufferer a gift to others. We talked about falling into stories you never expected to write, about the wisdom of children in dark times, and about dealing with distraction and learning to be present for creativity. Believe me, you don't want to miss this conversation.

Generally, I like to focus on the ways that fantasy stories help form us and make us into better humans; but, is it possible for certain types of fantasy to be bad for us? In this episode, I unpack a recent trend to abandon the traditional hero's journey of pleasant catharsis for a new embracing of the beautiful chaos of reality - specifically, I focus on this trend in the film, The Green Knight.  I don't know about you, but the reality I see in the world around me is, often, anything but beautiful. Opponents of the traditional view tend to criticize the characters for being morally simplistic and lean into the complexity of the individuals we may encounter in life. When we turn to fantasy, isn't part of the experience the safe fall into a world that gives us hope and life? Sadly, many of these "beautiful chaos" stories head only in one direction . . . death.  No thanks, I'll just re-read Lord of the Rings for the 20th time. 

Let's be honest: it's a golden age for speculative fiction. The most fantasy and sci-fi streaming shows in ages! But then again, there's the Last Jedi and Star Trek: Discovery... Thank goodness for books. And one of the best new series I've read in a long time is Christopher Ruocchio's Sun Eater. In this interview, we talk about his influences, why sci-fi is such an important genre for our time, why Jordan Peterson helped him write and live better, and what it means to be human in an increasingly post-human age.

C. S. Lewis's final novel Till We Have Faces is a novelization and adaptation of the Roman myth "Cupid and Psyche." Rather than tell the story from Psyche's perspective, Lewis tells it from her sister's, a character with no name in the original myth. In this multi-layered and very difficult novel, the main character hears a strange pronouncement about her fate from the god of love. "You are also Psyche." This short sentence is one of several short pronouncements that acts like keys to unlocking the layers of meaning of the novel, which sometimes are multiple layers deep. I couldn't understand it for a long time. But then it hit me. Till We Have Faces is a novel about becoming truly human. Its answer to the "how" of that proposition is shocking, even provocative. But it is ultimately a hopeful one because it is the resolution of every journey, both of the hero and the heroine.

In this episode of "Fantasy for our Time," fantasy author Nicholas Kotar tackles the difficult task of addressing the war in Ukraine. As a creator of epic fantasy stories inspired by Russian fairy tales, and as someone with deep Russian roots, the complex narrative of the conflict has served to be a point of extreme internal tension.  How can we resolve such internal tensions in a society of isolation, with no communal mechanism for inner healing and catharsis? Kotar explains how the stories we love can inspire us to go on our own hero's journey, pass through heaven & hell, and come out slaying dragons - internal and external.  Listen and see if you're ready to take the hero's journey and go back into your own community to be a source of communal catharsis!

In this first episode of "Fantasy for our Time," fantasy author Nicholas Kotar explains his premise for the podcast. This isn't a review podcast, though there will be discussions of fantasy books old and new. Using a framework developed on the Science Fiction podcast by Damien Walter, Kotar critiques works of classic and new fantasy (and occasionally, sci-fi) rather than reviews them. In other words, these stories that we read are more than our personal likes and dislikes (reviews). They have a capacity of affecting us at a profound level, for good or ill. So as Kotar critiques these stories, he will always consider how they reflect some aspect of our current society or what it means to be human in general. To start off, Kotar discusses Tolkien's wonderful essay "On Fairy Stories," where Tolkien discusses how the consolation that stories provide is one of the most important things we have as human beings. Far from being embarrassed by the escapism of stories, we should revel in it!

Join me in my cozy corner of the internet to learn what you can expect from my new podcast!