On this very special episode of First Chapters, Engineer Mike and Nina are joined in Gray Cat Studios by a very special guest, Dr. Richard Scott Nokes (aka Professor Awesome of Pop Medieval fame)! He’s here to get Nina through a classic work — just in time for the second season of a certain elf-y show. Will Nina find dry, scholarly notes about epic high fantasy tolerable, or will she descend into the darkness and devour herself?
Digressions: Doc’s own eye of Sauron, Engineer Mike confusing authors for other authors (again), Warhammer 40k (again), nerd worlds colliding, the semi death of the Pop Medieval podcast, preferring extended versions of movies, the last season of GoT (again), the Silmarillion as kaballah, Nina mispronouncing words (again), improv jazz, the avot, Verner Vinge (again), putting some respect on Christopher Tolkein’s name, and spoiling the second season of The Rings of Power with some canon truth bombs.
Doc is reading: “The Virga Series” on Audible https://www.audible.com/series/Virga-Audiobooks/B09SM67VZ7
“The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England” by Brandon Sanderson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60531410-the-frugal-wizard-s-handbook-for-surviving-medieval-england
Engineer Mike is reading: “Bea Wulf” by Zach Weinersmith https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60316971-bea-wolf
“The Mote in God’s Eye” by Larry Niven https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100365.The_Mote_in_God_s_Eye
Nina is reading: “The Tolkein Companion” by JEA Tyler https://www.amazon.com/Tolkien-Companion-J-Tyler/dp/0517146487/