Undertowers Podcast

Episode 32: Tropes 2.0

We are revisiting our tropes discussion, this time with a twist. We each prepared lists of tropes we are recently enjoying and some we are tired of but as we pick them to discuss, each of us will take turns steelmanning the opposite of our baseline positions. Led to a fun and hilarious episode and discussion. 
 
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The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole Dweller from their Crossroads EP.

Episode 31: Bookclub Hangout: the funniest moments in fantasy

We have a wide-ranging conversation covering the totality of the books we’ve read in our book club thus far. What was the funniest moment? What counts as grimdark? We wind down with a speed round of favorite moments and look at what we are most excited to read the rest of the year. 
 
OUR COMPLETED NOVELS:
2023 -
THE SHADOW OF THE TORTURER by Gene Wolfe
THE CLAW OF THE CONCILIATOR by Gene Wolfe
THE SWORD OF THE LICTOR by Gene Wolfe
THE CITADEL OF THE AUTARCH by Gene Wolfe
THE BLACK COMPANY by Glen Cook
SHADOWS LINGER by Glen Cook
THE WHITE ROSE by Glen Cook
THE EYES OF THE DRAGON by Stephen King
GALAPAGOS by Kurt Vonnegut
TARZAN OF THE APES by Edgar Rice Burroughs
THE RETURN OF TARZAN by Edgar Rice Burroughs
THE COMING OF CONAN THE CIMMERIAN by Robert E. Howard (13 short stories)
THE BLOODY CROWN OF CONAN by Robert E. Howard (Del Rey Edition Vol. 2)
THE CONQUERING SWORD OF CONAN by Robert E. Howard (Del Rey Edition Vol. 3)
THE BROKEN SWORD by Poul Anderson
ELRIC OF MELNIBONE: THE ELRIC SAGA PART 1 by Michael Moorcock
STORMBRINGER: THE ELRIC SAGA PART 2 by Michael Moorcock
THE WHITE WOLF: THE ELRIC SAGA PART 3 by Michael Moorcock
 
2024 - 
SWORDS AGAINST DEATH: FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER BOOK 2 by Fritz Leiber
SWORDS IN THE MIST: FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER BOOK 3 by Fritz Leiber
THE SWORDS OF LANKHMAR: FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER BOOK 5 by Fritz Leiber
THE SWORDS OF LANKHMAR: FAFHRD AND THE GRAY MOUSER BOOK 5 by Fritz Leiber
LEGEND (DRENAI SAGA 1) by David Gemmell
THE KING BEYOND THE GATE (DRENAI SAGA 2)  by David Gemmell
WAYLANDER (DRENAI SAGA 3) by David Gemmell
SWORD OF DESTINY by Andrej Sapkowski
THE LAST WISH by Andrej Sapkowski
THE KNIGHT by Gene Wolfe
THE WIZARD by Gene Wolfe
MALICE (THE FAITHFUL AND THE FALLEN 1) by John Gwynne
VALOR (THE FAITHFUL AND THE FALLEN 2) by John Gwynne
RUIN (THE FAITHFUL AND THE FALLEN 3) by John Gwynne
WRATH (THE FAITHFUL AND THE FALLEN 4) by John Gwynne
SHAGDUK by JB Jackson
 THE MABINOGION (Jones and Jones translation & SIONED DAVIES AUDIOBBOOK)
LE MORTE D’ARTHUR (part 2, books X-XXI, chapters 19-45 audiobook)  by Thomas Malory
IDYLLS OF THE KING by Alfred Lord Tennyson
URSULA OF ULM by JB Jackson
THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND HIS KNIGHTS by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT by Mark Twain
BETWEEN TWO FIRES by Christopher Buelhman
THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING: THE SWORD AND THE STONE by T.H. White
THE BLACKTONGUED THIEF by Christopher Buelhman 
The Daughter’s War by Christopher Buelhman
SULDRUN’S GARDEN Garden by Jack Vance
 
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The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole Dweller from their Crossroads EP.

Episode 30: The State of Sci fi Fantasy in Film & TV

Episode 29: Robert Eggers Nosferatu

We are back! In this episode we dive into Robert Eggers’ 4th feature film, Nosferatu. We thoroughly enjoyed this film, both on the immediate level and ruminating on the themes and ideas the film presents. Where does the film stack up against Eggers’ previous work? Is Eggers’ our most Wolfian director?
You can watch the 1922 Nosfertu in full on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OZ5Wam2_Uc&t=3s 
 
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The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole Dweller from their Crossroads EP.

Episode 27: The Sword and the Stone by TH White

The once and future king has come again to your ears as the round table boys are discussing TH White’s Arthurian masterpiece The Sword in the Stone being the first of the four books compiled as The Once and Future King. The book is so full of magic, humor, and heart that it was impossible to not have a delightful conversation about it. We dive into some speculative 80s era casting for a film that never was as well. 
 
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The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole Dweller from their Crossroads EP. 
 
#TheSwordInTheStone #THWhite #OnceAndFutureSing #OnceAndFutureKing #ArthurianLegend #ClassicLiterature #BookPodcast #LiteraryAnalysis #MedievalFantasy #UndertowersPodcast #LiteraryPodcast #BookTube #MythologyPodcast #KingArthur #LiteraryReview #FantasyLiterature #BookTok

Episode 26: Uzumaki & Attack on Titan

Spirals and giants galor! We explore the wonderful and terrible worlds of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki and the excellent Attack on Titan. While very different in approach and scope, there are some very interesting parallels to explore and are otherwise but exemplary in their storytelling and overall effect. 
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The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole Dweller from their Crossroads EP. 
 
#Anime #JapaneseManga #UzumakiAnime #AttackOnTitan #AnimePodcast #MangaDiscussion #ShōnenAnime #HorrorAnime #AnimeReview #MangaAdaptation #JujutsuKaisen #DemonSlayer #NarutoAnime #AnimeComparison #MangaCulture #AnimeFans #OtakuLife #AnimeAnalysis #MangaWorld #PopCulturePodcast

Episode 25: Fullmetal Alchemist & Hunter x Hunter

Prepare to make a circle and focus all your aura into your ears as we are diving DEEP into the wonderful worlds of Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa (published 2001-2010) and Hunter x Hunter by Yoshihiro Togashi (published 1998-present). We also dip into the anime adaptations of both stories, both the 2003 FMA and Brotherhood and the 1999 and 2011 HxH. 
 
Next week we will dig into Attack on Titan and Junji Ito’s Uzumaki. 
 
And as always, we stan our boy Ikalgo and the short king Edward: https://youtu.be/GhuhI_kbhbI?t=143 
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The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole Dweller from their Crossroads EP. 
 
#MangaComparison #AnimeExplorers #MangaDeepDive #ShōnenShowdown #AnimePodcastReview #HunterxHunter #HxH #Gon #Killua #MangaAnalysis #AnimeTheory #ShōnenManga #PodcastReview #MangaCommunity #FullmetalAlchemist #FMA #EdwardElric #AlphonseElric #MangaTalk #AnimeDiscussion #ShonaManga #AnimePodcast #MangaRevi

Episode 24: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Travel back in time with us to both the 19th and 6th centuries as we discuss Hank Morgan’s exploits in the dark ages of ye olde England in Mark Twain’s masterful science fiction satire A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. One of our most fun conversations yet. 
 
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The music you heard was Greener Pastures by Hole Dweller from their Crossroads EP. 
 
#MarkTwain #ConnecticutYankee #ClassicLiterature #BookDiscussion #AmericanLiterature #TimeTravel #KingArthur #Camelot #SocialSatire #HistoricalFiction #BookReview #LiteraryAnalysis #TwainBooks #VictorianEra #MediaevalTimes #BookTube #Literature101 #BookishYouTube #ClassicBooks #AmericanClassics