Reign Of Books Podcast

This new official post-RotJ (Return of the Jedi) tale is full of likable characters, a galaxy in flux, and a fun new robot that almost makes up for its clumsy battle droid cousins.

  New official Star Wars story. High expectations. Here we go.  

  This is a lifeless Star Trek parody that takes nihilism to the extreme. It’s not without its laughs, but it ends up being a hollow sermon on how life is what you make of it.

    The Dragon Reborn expands the mythology of the Wheel of Time series and its protagonists face increasingly powerful foes and dangers from every direction.

“For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands, love is now mingled with grief.” This line is from the fantasy epic Lord of the Rings movie, but it beautifully portrays the sense of urgency and import in the third entry of Robert Jordan’s magnum opus, the Wheel of Time series. None … Continue reading A Fellowship Divided (Ep. 57) | The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (pt1)

Brace yourself for aftershocks with this one. This world’s culture and geography will rock you. Spoilers galore.    

Reign of Books Podcast is a discussion of our current reads and includes spoilers galore. Check out Book Talks in menu for short spoilercast on the book. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (pt2/finale), Ep. 56 The price of admission is well worth it, with the book showing us not only a compelling, frightening world but packing … Continue reading This Story’s Aftershocks are Hard to Shake (Ep. 56)

Welcome to REIGNfall, our weekly series on book topics where we talk fiction and ponder the world of storytelling. Sinking ships, space karate, chosen ones and much more. We love our fictional characters. They enthrall us with their adventures (or misadventures), their triumphs, losses, personal courage and funny lines. They make fiction what it is. … Continue reading REIGNfall – Irresponsible vs. Responsible Characters

Reign of Books Podcast is a discussion of our current reads and includes spoilers galore. Check out Book Talks in menu for short spoilercast on the book. The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (pt1), Ep. 55     The Earth breaks frequently, and with devastating effect. Earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis all conspire to erase any trace of … Continue reading An Unstable World that Breeds Fear (Ep. 55)

Welcome to REIGNfall, our weekly series on book topics where we talk fiction and ponder the world of storytelling. We’re talking about Audiobook delights in this show. Audiobooks have a kind of sweet, long-lasting flavor. We just had a knockdown, drag out fight over digital vs paper (the verdict is still out), so we have to … Continue reading REIGNfall – Audiobook Delights

Welcome to REIGNfall, our weekly series on book topics where we talk fiction and ponder the world of storytelling. Listen: The age old debate of “paper or digital” rages on. Lots of emotions come out in this discussion. Feelings get hurt. But we talk it out, and surprising confessions are made. No books were harmed … Continue reading REIGNfall – Paper vs Ebooks (A Kinda Mature Debate)

REIGN Book Talks – We highlight our book reads and share what made us fans of the story. (aka spoiler cliffnotes) In Seveneves, Stephenson addresses how to keep a planet calm when the end is near (he alludes to lots of couplings), he immerses us in the technical challenges of space flight (orbital mechanics are geeky … Continue reading Last Humans Survive Outerspace and Each Other | Seveneves by Neal Stephenson BOOK TALK

Every part of this story rises to the occasion – from the intimate and personal decisions of the characters to the larger geopolitical struggle to execute the space mission to the daunting reality of life in the cold bleak wasteland that is outer space. Stephenson takes us on an the proverbial “unforgettable journey” with a … Continue reading REIGN 54 – Space As You’ve Never Seen It (Seveneves, pt2/finale)

Welcome to REIGNfall, our weekly series on book topics where we talk fiction and ponder the world of storytelling. In this episode we’re talking about book series and how slow (or quickly) it takes for them to be completed and come to market. What’s better for a book series? Get it written and get instant … Continue reading REIGNfall – How quickly should a book series come to market?

Seveneves is one of the most amazing, audacious and mesmerizing pieces of fiction I’ve ever read. Period. In the face of an extinction-level event, do we have what it takes to save the species? With current 21st century technology, we’re about to find out: We plan to send a few thousand people into space to … Continue reading REIGN53 – The Sky is Falling (Seveneves, pt1)

Welcome to REIGNfall, our weekly series on book topics where we talk fiction and ponder the world of storytelling. We know movie adaptations of games are pretty much disasters. Just look at Super Mario Brothers. Not even John Leguizamo could save that mess. And please don’t even mention Doom and Street Fighter. But we’re not talking … Continue reading REIGNfall – Game-to-Book Adaptations; Are They Worth the Read?

The characters are changed by the war and it’s a reflection of the devastation that years of conflict cause. British soldier Raybould Marsh and Warlock William Beauclark make comprises that cause innocent people to be killed. They are continually faced with decisions that would drive lesser men insane, but in the process they sacrifice a … Continue reading REIGN Ep52: Standing Against Titans (Bitter Seeds pt2, finale)

These are the European book covers – blame the marketers. The book is serious subject matter… Bitter Seeds is a vivid reminder of Great Britain’s brave men and women during WWII as they held the line in Europe. But in this sweeping alternate history tale about the high cost of war, the death toll comes … Continue reading REIGN Ep51: The High Cost of War (Bitter Seeds, pt1)

Welcome to REIGNfall, our weekly series on book topics where we talk fiction and ponder the world of storytelling. Books are judged by their covers. But we take their titles to task. We find some pretty bad book names, and talk about just how mediocre they get. We cry foul on some of them. (We find out even … Continue reading REIGNfall – Bad Book Titles

Weekly book topics on fiction of all shapes and sizes. Book covers are like a gateway into great stories. They become intertwined with the experience of any great tale and can instantly transport you back into what you loved most about the story. So we picked some iconic book covers to go alongside our favorite movie posters and album … Continue reading REIGNfall – Book Covers Matter