Realms Unknown

The Bugle
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Mar 6, 2025 • 38min

World Book Day special - part 2

Support Realms Unknown by becoming a Team Bugle subscriber. We offer extra shows, merch and warm fluffy feelings. Info: www.thebuglepodcast.com/donate Hosts Alice Fraser and Chris Skinner bring you the second of two child-friendly World Book Day (UK) episodes of Realms Unknown this week, with today's focusing on children's fantasy and science fiction books for ages 12-17 years old. Part 1, which looked at books for 0-12 years old, is available in your podcast feed and on YouTube. Before diving into the many great books in this episode, Chris and Alice recommend some music with a sci-fi/fantasy twist, with Janelle Monáe's 2010 album The ArchAndroid being enjoyed at the family dinner table for Chris, and Alice enjoying the storytelling of LayLow's TRINITY album, released in 2020.In this episode’s Trope on a Rope, Alice brings the use of parental neglect to the table, preferring the loving and engaged parenting in books like The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik, while Chris bemoans beings magically being able to just learn a language at a speed unfamiliar to a Duolingo user like himself.Chris and Alice then enthuse over a number of fantasy and sci-fi books that shaped them as teenagers, which you can find listed below and can buy in our Bookshop affiliate store, which supports your local bookshops.Age 12-17 booksLoving and engaged parentsThe Golden Enclaves - Naomi NovikSibling adventuresMagic Faraway Tree - Enid BlytonThe Dark is Rising - Susan CooperNarnia series - CS LewisGillian Rubinstein - Space DemonsThe Storm Keeper’s Island - Catherine DoyleWhy teenagers should read fantasyPhillip Pullman - His Dark MaterialsPhillip Pullman - The Ruby in the SmokePhillip Pullman - The Book of DustSabriel series - Garth NixLioness series - Tamora PierceTerry Pratchett - MortTerry Pratchett - EricGalax-Arena - Gillian RubinsteinShort storiesDangerous Women - George R R Martin & Gardner DozoisMore to exploreEnder's Game - Orson Scott CardDune - Frank Herbert🔔 Subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts or recommendations! We’d love to hear from you!Produced by Chris Skinner and Ped Hunter. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Chris Skinner.📧 Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Email us at realmsunknown@thebuglepodcast.com🌐 Visit thebuglepodcast.com to support us and find more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mar 5, 2025 • 46min

World Book Day special - part 1

Support Realms Unknown by becoming a Team Bugle subscriber. We offer extra shows, merch and warm fluffy feelings. Info: www.thebuglepodcast.com/donate Hosts Alice Fraser and Chris Skinner bring you two child-friendly World Book Day (UK) episodes of Realms Unknown this week, focusing on children's books from 0-10 years old.The second episode, looking at books for older children, will be out on Thursday 6 March!In the regular news section, they touch on Doctor Who and Pokémon Go while detouring down memory lane, recalling He-Man, Thundercats and The Trap Door.Chris is pleasantly surprised to be enjoying the Amazon series The Rings of Power, having not taken to The Hobbit off-shoots of Lord of the Rings. While Alice is enjoying the gentle calm of toddler books such as Kuma-Kuma Chan by Kazue Takahashi and Grug by Ted Prior.In this episode’s Trope on a Rope, Alice wonders where tropes of boys being ballerinas, or girls wanting to play soccer are still relevant in a more inclusive age.Chris and Alice recommend a number of books they've enjoyed both as children and as parents, which you can find listed below and can buy in our Bookshop affiliate store. Bookshop supports the local and independent book stores in your area.Age 0-5 booksThe Tiger Who Came To Tea - Judith KerrNot Now Bernard - David McKeeI Want My Hat Back - Jon KlassenThe Gruffalo, Zog, The Smeds and the Smoos - Julia DonaldsonCautionary Tales for Children - Hilaire BellocMeg and Mog - Helen Nicholl and Jan PienkowskiAge 5-8 booksIsadora Moon and Mirabelle series - Harriet MuncasterAge 8-10 booksThe Phantom Tollbooth - Norton JusterThe 13 Clocks - James ThurberThe Stormkeeper’s Island - Catherine DoyleAlso, don’t miss our recommendations for what to do, watch, or read this week. Tune in for a packed episode full of insightful discussions, book and TV recommendations, and much more!🔔 Subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts or recommendations! We’d love to hear from you!Produced by Chris Skinner and Ped Hunter. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Chris Skinner.📧 Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Email us at realmsunknown@thebuglepodcast.com🌐 Visit thebuglepodcast.com to support us and find more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Feb 26, 2025 • 41min

Steampunk // Companion // Columns of Light

In Episode 5 of Realms Unknown, hosts Alice Fraser and Tom Neenan leap into the latest news in pop culture and fantasy! Hear what's coming up from Guy Gavriel Kay, Jim Butcher, Game of Thrones, Mila Jovovich, and ACOTAR.They take a deep dive into this week's sub-genre of steampunk, making recommendations from film, books and games such as Mortal Engines, Cinder Spires, Bioshock Infinite, Howl's Moving Castle, and more.In this episode’s Trope on a Rope, Tom explains the much-used prop of an epic city final battle featuring a column of light or energy, while Alice is baffled by sexy fights in films.Also, don’t miss our recommendations for what to do, watch, or read this week. Tune in for a packed episode full of insightful discussions, book and TV recommendations, and much more! Buy the books we cover in this episode in our affiliate store.🔔 Subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts or recommendations! We’d love to hear from you!Produced by Chris Skinner and Ped Hunter. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Tom Neenan.📧 Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Email us at realmsunknown@thebuglepodcast.com🌐 Visit thebuglepodcast.com to support us and find more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Feb 19, 2025 • 35min

Neuromancer // Cyberpunk // Basketful of Heads

In Episode 4 of Realms Unknown, hosts Alice Fraser and Jackie Kashian dive into the latest news in pop culture and fantasy! From Ian McKewan's new 'science fiction without the science' novel What We Can Know, to new seasons of Alice in Borderland and The Handmaid's Tale, to Natasha Lyonne producing and starring in the upcoming Basketful of Heads movie.They take a deep dive into this week's sub-genre of cyberpunk, discussing books like Neuromancer, Mindstar Rising, and Ten Low. They discuss the similarities and differences with steampunk and Jackie recommends When Gravity Falls by George Alec Effinger, while Alice suggests Market Forces by Richard Morgan.In this episode’s Trope on a Rope, Jackie bemoans the Marvel trope of a female character meeting their end off a cliff, while Alice recalls the scientists trying to save the world who panic and try to open the airlock. Meanwhile, listener Elyse makes the case for reading the Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries Pathfinder RPG book.Also, don’t miss our recommendations for what to do, watch, or read this week. Tune in for a packed episode full of insightful discussions, book and TV recommendations, and much more! Buy the books we cover in this episode in our affiliate store.🔔 Subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts or recommendations! We’d love to hear from you!Produced by Chris Skinner and Ped Hunter. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Jackie Kashian.📧 Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Email us at realmsunknown@thebuglepodcast.com🌐 Visit thebuglepodcast.com to support us and find more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Feb 12, 2025 • 35min

Buffy’s Return, Grimdark Fiction & Redhead Tropes

In this episode of Realms Unknown, hosts Alice Fraser and Eleanor Morton dive into the latest news in pop culture and fantasy! Get the scoop on Buffy's return with Sarah Michelle Gellar, exciting Back to the Future updates, the new video game Atomfall, and a fascinating partnership between the Ministry of Defence and sci-fi writers.They also shine a spotlight on the gritty world of Grimdark fiction, discussing epic books like Prince of Thorns, The Black Company, and Legends & Lattes. Eleanor shares her thoughts on the game Hobbs Barrow, while Alice recommends the TV series Pantheon.In this episode’s Trope on a Rope, Eleanor breaks down the redhead trope in fantasy and sci-fi, touching on Gulliver’s Travels, Eddie Redmayne’s role in Jupiter Ascending, and Gimli from Lord of the Rings. Plus, Sandy convinces us to read Joe Abercrombie’s Best Served Cold in the Convince Me to Read This Book segment!Also, don’t miss our recommendations for what to do, watch, or read this week. Tune in for a packed episode full of insightful discussions, book and TV recommendations, and much more! Buy the books we cover in this episode in our affiliate store🔔 Subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts or recommendations! We’d love to hear from you!Produced by Chris Skinner. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Eleanor Morton.📧 Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Email us at realmsunknown@thebuglepodcast.com🌐 Visit thebuglepodcast.com to support us and find more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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4 snips
Feb 5, 2025 • 39min

Grimdark // Ursula K Le Guin // The Cube

Realms Unknown is your gateway to the strange, the dark, and the mind-bendingly brilliant worlds of sci-fi and fantasy. Hosted by the incomparable Alice Fraser, with guest co-host Tom Neenan, this podcast takes a deep (and hilarious) dive into some of the genre’s greatest works—whether it’s the brutal landscapes of Grimdark, the existential horror of The Cube, the radical utopias of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed, or the timey-wimey brilliance of Doctor Who.Our store, with links to books we recommend is here: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/RealmsUnknownSupport us directly: http://thebuglepodcast.comExpect sharp insights, unexpected tangents, and plenty of laughs as Alice and Tom unravel what makes these stories so enduring (and weird). Produced by Chris Skinner and Laura Turner for The Bugle, Realms Unknown is your guide to the best and strangest corners of speculative fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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4 snips
Jan 29, 2025 • 40min

Severance // Rebecca Yarros // Astrobot - It's Realms Unknown!

Join comedian and writer Tom Neenan as he co-hosts an entertaining journey into the realms of sci-fi and fantasy. They discuss the adorable gaming adventure of Astrobot and delve into the trend of 'Romantasy' led by Rebecca Yarros. The conversation covers audience expectations in adaptations like Dune and explores the political implications of storytelling within the BookTok community. They also contemplate the whimsical nature of modern narratives and create a humorous take on storytelling challenges, blending creativity with audience engagement.
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Jan 21, 2025 • 2min

Realms Unknown is coming

Alice Fraser presents the best (and occasionally worst) of Sci Fi and Fantasy, across TV & film, literature, gaming and anywhere you can get speculative.Released weekly Wednesdays, we want your thoughts and feedback - realmsunknown@thebuglepodcast.comA podcast from The Bugle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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