The Book Cellar Podcast

The Book Cellar Podcast

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The Book Cellar Podcast is dedicated to fantasy and science fiction literature. In each episode we discuss a book that we selected and read as a group, diving into the plot, characters, themes, and connections to other media. You never know what you might find when you open the Book Cellar! thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com

May 14

"In the Land of Time, and Other Fantasy Tales," by Lord Dunsany

In the last episode of the first season of The Book Cellar, the gang is dragged back to the very beginnings of the fantasy genre as they read the collection known as In The Land of Time, and Other Fantasy Tales by Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, otherwise known as Lord Dunsany. While a huge influence on the genre, and particularly HP Lovecraft, it seems this blast from the past may be best left forgotten. Topics like religion, imperialism, and many more await in the season finale of The Book Cellar podcast! Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19265240 Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Apr 2

"Dawn" by Octavia E. Butler

In this episode, the members of the Book Cellar Podcast discuss the first book in Octavia Butler’s Lilith’s Brood trilogy, Dawn. First published in 1987, Dawn dives deep into a multitude of heavy questions with no easy answers. A story revolving around first contact between humans and aliens but not in the usual way. Themes range from consent and coercion, surviving in new power structures, and what it fundamentally means to be human. Get ready for the final episode of this season by reading "In the Land of Time, and Other Fantasy Stories" by Lord Dunsany. Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60929.Dawn Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Feb 26

"Tress of the Emerald Sea" by Brandon Sanderson

On the Book Cellar Podcast this week, the team discusses "Tress of the Emerald Sea" by the modern heavyweight of fantasy writing - Brandon Sanderson. While most famous for series like The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn that take place in the fictional Cosmere universe, Tress is a standalone novel with a whimsical, fairy tale like tone. Discussions of adventure, villains, and the beloved classic The Princess Bride await in this episode. Get ready for next time as we read "Dawn" by Octavia Butler. Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60531406-tress-of-the-emerald-sea Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
Jan 15

"The Last Wish" by Andrzej Sapkowski

This month, the Book Cellar Podcast takes on the famous fantasy world of the witcher by reading The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. The series was made famous in 2015 with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video game, though this particular book first debuted in 1993. A popular series in Poland, the gang will discuss various themes like identity, feminism, and the merits of monsters. Get ready for next time by reading "Tress of The Emerald Sea" by Brandon Sanderson Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40603587-the-last-wish Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
12/18/2025

"The Children of Hurin" by JRR Tolkien

This time on the Book Cellar Podcast, the gang experiences severe whiplash as they are snapped back into the world of fantasy by reading The Children of Hurin by JRR Tolkien. All the markers of a great fantasy novel are present; sword-wielding heroes, dragons, incest…turns out George RR Martin wasn’t so original after all! Told in part in The Silmarillion and edited into a single narrative manuscript by Christopher Tolkien, the podcast will dive deep into this dark tale from the father of modern fantasy. Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/597790.The_Children_of_H_rin Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
11/20/2025

"Exhalation" by Ted Chiang

This week on the Book Cellar Podcast, our tireless team reads an absolutely phenomenal collection of short stories - Exhalation by Ted Chiang. Continuing the science fiction streak from the previous episode, this might be the most beloved read of the season. Diving into numerous themes like free will, sentience, and more, this is one book and discussion you do not want to miss. Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
10/16/2025

"Contact" by Carl Sagan

This week on the Book Cellar Podcast, the gang discusses Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel “Contact” - a book with eerie parallels and predictions to today’s technological realities. The group will discuss themes of feminism, hope, science, religion, and the unfortunate reality that billionaires exist are all explored. Also they do explore the 1997 theatrical adaptation of the book - wait, what's that? A message from outer space? It reads “caution - spoilers ahead for media like The Expanse, Mass Effect, and Childhood’s End.” What could it mean?? Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Sagan https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53000876-contact https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
09/18/2025

"Babel" by R.F. Kuang Part 2

In this second episode of the Book Cellar, your friendly neighborhood book club finishes up their discussion on R.F. Kuang’s “Babel, or The Necessity of Violence.” This time the necessity of violence is certainly explored with the last half of the book. Topics like empire, class relations, and more continue on in addition to topics from last time. Apologies to those who attend Oxford. As usual, spoilers and references to other media abound! Questions or comments? Reach out to The Book Cellar Podcast members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com Fanon Essay “Concerning Violence” http://hyle.mobi/Reading_Groups/Concerning%20Violence,%20Frantz%20Fanon/ https://www.rfkuang.com/faqs https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57945316-babel https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe
09/18/2025

"Babel" by R.F. Kuang Part 1

Ever wanted to be part of a book club, but just can’t seem to get it coordinated? Read along with us here at The Book Cellar Podcast! In this inaugural episode of the Book Cellar Podcast, Brian, Ryan, Brianna and Augie discuss the first half of the historical fantasy novel "Babel, or The Necessity of Violence" by R.F. Kuang. A light read with easy topics like racism, colonialism, and the platonic ideal of bread (spoiler: its scones). Stay tuned for part 2! Questions or comments? Reach out to the Book Cellar members at bookcellarpod@gmail.com https://www.rfkuang.com/faqs https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57945316-babel https://thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/podcast Get full access to The Book Cellar Podcast at thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

9 Episodes

Love this show!

2d ago

BKMichele2026

Great content, interesting books, fun banter!

The Book Cellar Podcast is dedicated to fantasy and science fiction literature. In each episode we discuss a book that we selected and read as a group, diving into the plot, characters, themes, and connections to other media. You never know what you might find when you open the Book Cellar! thebookcellarpodcast.substack.com

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The Book Cellar Podcast
Episodes

9
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Explicit
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© The Book Cellar Podcast
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The Book Cellar Podcast