Words About Books

Gandalf's back and he has some explaining to do.Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

Words About Dune is over. Well, mostly. This is the finale where we wrap up talking about the book series that Ben started this podcast for. This whole thing has been an excuse to force someone to read Dune so he could talk to someone about it. Good times... good times.Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

Bilbo throws the largest party that the Shire has ever seen. Nate wonders if it is irresponsible to use the weapon of The Enemy to annoy your terrible relatives.Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

This week we wrap up our discussion of Chapterhouse: Dune. We leave the series on a bit of a downer note with our heroes (or whatever we would call them) taking off in a No Ship while the Bene Gesserit and Honored Matre leadership becomes one. The villains of this trilogy reveal themselves to be some higher level of Face Dancer, something beyond anything we've ever seen before. How will our heroes defeat this new threat and the transformation of an old threat? Will they need to call upon their Super Mentat and Super Ghola powers, that will surely be explained in the finale, and merge them with our past protagonists? Will all of humanity be merged into some sort of new super organism and finally take us to the end of the Golden Path and to, perhaps, something even the God Emperor himself couldn't see with all of his prescience? Find out... never. Yeah, big bummer. Turns out they're just robots now and two untalented hacks finish the series. Byeeeee.Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

First, we're going to check back in with the gang from The Hobbit and see where they are now. Then we're going to get a little refresher on Hobbit lore.Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

Welcome back, Dune fanatics! This week, Ben and Nate tackle the mind-bending first half of Frank Herbert’s Chapterhouse: Dune. With the Bene Gesserit teetering on the edge of annihilation and the Honored Matres breathing down their necks, Chapterhouse is all that stands between the Sisterhood and total extinction. As expected, Herbert spins a web of political intrigue, philosophical quandaries, and ecological puzzles that only he could imagine—or make us question why we’re still trying to unravel them.We’ll dig into the high-stakes drama facing the Bene Gesserit, ponder the curious case of Duncan Idaho (again), and debate what Herbert was really trying to say about the future of humanity—or if he was just messing with us all along. As usual, our analysis comes with a side of sharp wit and a good dose of snark.And, of course, we can’t talk about Dune without addressing the elephant in the room: Brian Herbert. Let’s just say that if literary talent were genetic, Brian might have gotten the recessive genes. Frank Herbert’s legacy casts a long shadow, and Brian’s efforts to carry the torch are, well… let’s just say some things are better left untouched.So gear up for a journey through the weird and wonderful world of Dune. If you’re a fan of the series—or just enjoy watching us dissect a good book—this is an episode you won’t want to miss.Words About Books: Where the spice flows, and our critiques are as brutal as a Bene Gesserit truthsay.This episode's summary was generated by AI: the real enemy all along! Don't trust machines! That's the real message of Dune! There's no hidden meaning! There are no themes! There's nothing but the one obvious message! Robots bad! Crash the system!Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

In honor of "Back to School" month, we're talking about The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. Will this book be the one that finally changes the boys' minds on fancy-pants literary fiction? The answer may surprise you. Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

We conclude our revisit of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Since the first time I read this book, I've changed. The way I think about Neil Gaiman has certainly changed. The real question is, will my earlier review of the book change? (Yes, it will).Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

Ben revisits American Gods in the wake of the allegations against Neil Gaiman to see if learning something terrible about one of his favorite authors will change his interpretation of a text he enjoyed so much he bought it twice. Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/

We're back! Ben is wrapping up our discussion of the first book of the Pendragon series. What does Ben think about it? Is it any good? I could tell you, but it's really better if you experience it for yourself.Support the showBlue Sky - https://bsky.app/profile/wordsaboutbooks.bsky.socialDiscord - https://discord.gg/6BaNRtcP8CThreads - https://www.threads.net/@wordsaboutbookspodcastInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/wordsaboutbookspodcastBlog - https://blog.wordsaboutbooks.ninja/