Be The Serpent

And here you thought that the Twitter announcement on April Fool's Day about our upcoming shark episode WAS the joke! No! The joke is on us because we had to watch Sharknado for this prank! Also Jaws and Deep Blue Sea.   What We’re Into Lately If They Haven’t Learned Your Name by silentwalrus Succession The Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon “A Cornstalk Fiddle” by notbecauseofvictories “To Call the Darkness Home” by scioscribe The Heir to the House of Prince by Ada_Lovelaced & elph13 “Aurelius (to be called) Magnus” by Victoria Goddard “Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander” by Victoria Goddard Black Sails Other Stuff We Mentioned Captain America: The Winter Soldier The Thick of It Diana Wynne Jones (author) Dan Brown (author) The Devil Went Down to Georgia (And Then Went Down on Johnny) series by notbecauseofvictories Justified The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard The Chant series by Alexandra Rowl

On this week's episode, we have a two-hour special to answer questions sent in by our darling listeners! Thank you to everyone who has been with us through the last four years! The Great Hiatus begins now, but we will return for at least one more episode next year! Get hype!   What We’re Into Lately My Name  Beyond Evil Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers All the Feels by Olivia Dade Frankenstein by Mary Shelley And This, Your Living Kiss by opal_bullets The Courtier’s Love Affair (and Other Stories) by tridenture Harlots Bridgerton  The Living and the Dead  Macey’s NaNoWriMo Project: The Resurrection Chalice In the Realms of Gold by Victoria Goddard Sword Dance trilogy by AJ Demas Plum Duff by Victoria Goddard Alex’s NaNoWriMo Project: Some by Virtue Fall   Other Stuff We’ve Mentioned Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade Supernatural Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty Merlin A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian

On this week's episode, we're celebrating the release of Freya's debut book by talking about detectives in love! The tentpoles are Of Dragons, Feasts, and Murders by Aliette de Bodard, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske, and the fanfic If Life Was A Movie We’d Have A Better Soundtrack Than This by galaxysoup.   What We’re Into Lately  Dark Rise by C. S. Pacat The Saint of Steel series by T. Kingfisher that ruthless love by alherath The Warrior of the Third Veil by Victoria Goddard The Sisters Avramapul series by Victoria Goddard Other Stuff We Mentioned Captive Prince by C. S. Pacat Chant Universe by Alexandra Rowland "You Should Really Be Reading Victoria Goddard’s Nine Worlds Series" by Alexandra Rowland Guardian Bones Castle Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland House The Angel of Crows by Katherine Addison Doctor Who The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons Captive Prince series by C. S. Pacat Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell A Memory Called Empire b

Happy (slightly belated) spooky season, darling listeners! On this week's episode we're talking about afterlife career plans and... well, ghosts! Tentpoles this week are Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, the film Ghost, and the Inception fic, “The Boy Who Spoke With Ghosts” by AvocadoLove.   What We’re Into Lately Squid Game The Discord of Gods by Jenn Lyons A Chorus of Dragons series by Jenn Lyons The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu My Words Will Be Your Light by Page161of180 The Memory of Souls by Jenn Lyons Midnight Mass Naruto self-insert fic the name of the game by a_sassin the sun don't shine underground by ultranos Bar Cart Bookshelf How A Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom The Bride of the Blue Wind by Victoria Goddard “You Should Really Be Reading Victoria Goddard’s Nine Worlds Series” by Alexandra Rowland Other Stuff We Mentioned Snowpiercer The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins The Magicians The Queen's Gambit Avatar: The Last Airbender The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Bluebear

On this week's episode, we're discussing music! Musicians! Being gripped by the madness of creation! Selling one's soul for art! The tentpoles this week are the film Amadeus, the fanfic "String Theory" by toft,  and Ryka Aoki’s Light from Uncommon Stars.   What We’re Into Lately  The Hellion’s Waltz by Olivia Waite Peter Cabot Gets Lost by Cat Sebastian The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison Symphony for the City of the Dead by M. T. Adderson The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach Compass of thy Soul by Umei_no_Mai Campaign Skyjacks Skyjacks: Couriers Call Hannah Gadsby: Douglas The Wilds ‘In the Company of Gentlemen’ by Victoria Goddard Other Stuff We Mentioned Leverage The other two Feminine Pursuits books by Olivia Waite Sherlock Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Hollow and Honeycomb by antistar_e The Old Guard Lost The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett Stargate: Atlantis Shakespeare in Love Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (“topless towers of Ilium” quote) Maskerade by Terry

On this week's episode, we're discussing body swap fic! Swapping bodies! Trading meatsuits! It's all fun and comedy, right? ...Or is it? Anyway, the tentpoles for this episode are the anime film, Your Name, the fanfic Vinculum by Skadiseven, and the Farscape episode, "Out of Their Minds."   What We’re Into Lately  Bombshell by Sarah MacLean The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton Schmigadoon! (on Apple TV) Hunger Makes the Wolf by Alex Wells Pressure Machine by the Killers Campaign Skyjacks (podcast) The Bachelor’s Valet by Arden Powell Petty Treasons by Victoria Goddard   Other Stuff We Mentioned The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard The Untamed Star Trek: The Next Generation Farscape The Dark Crystal Jupiter Ascending Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers Star Trek: The Original Series Laughing Gas by PG Wodehouse Stranger Than Fiction Babylon 5 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Sword Art Online Stargate The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

On today's episode we're doing another deep dive on the marvelously sapphic fantasy novel The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri!   What We’re Into Lately  The Secrets of Charlotte Street series by Scarlett Peckham     - book 2: The Earl I Ruined     - book 3: The Lord I Left Seducing the Sorcerer by Lee Welch The Bachelor’s Valet by Arden Powell Game of Thrones fanfic Hunger Makes the Wolf by Alex Wells cast your bitterness into the sea by Kilerkki  Campaign Skyjacks Till Human Voices Wake Us by Victoria Goddard    Other Stuff We Mentioned Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Swordheart and The Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher Jeeves/Wooster fanfiction Firefly Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard The Witcher “Hellfire” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame Game of Thrones Empresses in the Palace The Realm of Ash The Magpie Lord series A Cradle of Vines by Jennifer Mace Sleeping Beauty ‘Seasons of Glass and Iron’ by Amal El-Mohtar Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri The Twilight Zone theme The Unbroken

On this week's episode, Macey is forcing us to put on our hiking shoes and dragging us out into the forest to look at some "really nice moss." The tentpoles we’re discussing are Princess Mononoke, Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, and Ursula K. Le Guin’s story ‘Vaster Than Empires and More Slow.’ What We’re Into Lately  ‘a kind of dwell and welcome’ by leupagus Reputation by Lex Croucher Seven Days in June by Tia Williams orange_crushed ‘s Untamed fics (esp Pentimento.) And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed The Necessity of Stars by E. Catherine Tobler Victoria Goddard’s books: Greenwing & Dart series (esp Love-in-a-Mist) Ask A Mortician Youtube Channel  Other Stuff We Mentioned Ted Lasso Gundam Wing Ponyo Robin Hood legends Hannibal The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones The Jungle Book by Ruyard Kipling The Secret Life of the Forest by Richard M. Ketchum The Hidden Life of Trees by by Peter Wohlleben Pando QI Semiosis by Sue Burke Brain coral Green Man motif For the Wolf by H

On this week's episode we're discussing the glamorous authorial life -- authors (and other publishing professionals) through the lens of how they're depicted in media. Tentpoles this week are the film Stranger Than Fiction, the K-Drama Romance Is a Bonus Book, the story “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” by Ken Liu and The Unstrung Harp by Edward Gorey.   What We’re Into Lately Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon Guardian fic Macey’s all-fandom OT3 feast Victoria Goddard books specifically the Greenwing & Dart series Ask A Mortician Youtube Channel  Other Stuff We Mentioned The Great British Bake-Off To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty ‘letters from the ides’ by Jennifer Mace (poet) The Witcher (TV show) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Sp

On today's episode, we're bursting into song at socially inappropriate times to talk about... musicals! Our tentpoles are the Bollywood musical Aaja Nachle, the first two episodes of Galavant, and the musical Wicked.   What We’re Into Lately Battle Royal by Lucy Parker Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo Penric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Red Azalea by CeNedraRiva The Changeling by Annerb The Armistice series by Annerb World Ain’t Ready by idiopathicsmile survival is a talent by ShanaStoryteller Rotten Work by ShanaStoryteller Campaign Skyjacks Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard Other Stuff We Mentioned Hadestown the musical Into The Woods the musical Les Misérables the musical “The Confrontation” from Les Misérables Come From Away the musical The Fast and the Furious Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold The Decemberists Weekend at Bernie’s The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard

On this week's episode we’re discussing classics rewritten by women! The tentpoles are Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott, The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo, and Beowulf, translated by Maria Dahvana Headley.   What We’re Into Lately Subtle Blood by KJ Charles For the Wolf by Hannah F. Whitten Luca “Choosing” by Susan Taitel The Imaginary Corpse by Tyler Hayes Victoria Goddard’s books: Tales of the Nine Worlds series Greenwing & Dart series   Other Stuff We Mentioned Will Darling Adventures by KJ Charles Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare The Good Place (see Janet with a cactus behind her back) Moana Carmina Burana (text) Carmina Burana (cantata by Orff) Hamilton “Saltwashed” by Jennifer Mace The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Lord of the Flies by William Golding Empresses in the Palace  The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger Rule 63 of the internet Persona 5 videogame Peter Darling by Austin Chant Peter Pan by JM Barrie Lost in the Nev

On this week's episode, we are once again answering YOUR burning questions, dear listeners! What We’re Into Lately The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole Bareknuckle Bastards series by Sarah MacLean Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis The Untamed fanfic “vinculum” by Skadiseven Heaven Has A Road But No One Walks It by Silvestris The Return of Fitzroy Angursell by Victoria Goddard History Channel “documentaries” Tim’s Vermeer The Witcher   Other Stuff We Mentioned Get Out Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman Good Omens (TV show) Nirvana in Fire Famous Fanfic Author Fahye Down to Agincourt series by seperis Word of Honor Isavalta series by Sarah Zettel Naruto Persona 5 Fic author Maldoror_Chant Feminine Pursuits series (The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics) by Olivia Waite The Covert Captain by Jeannelle M. Ferreira Proper English by KJ Charles  Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Advent

 On today’s episode, we're finally getting around to doing our Diana Wynne Jones Episode! Well, sort of -- it's not exactly a deep-dive. Our tentpoles this week are Howl’s Moving Castle, Howl’s Moving Castle, and two Howl’s Moving Castle fanfics — “Hearts and Their Consumption” by setepenre_set and “Second Time Lucky” by labellementeuse.   What We’re Into Lately Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall Sistersong by Lucy Holland Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott Persona 5 fanfic Word of Honor The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard   Other Stuff We Mentioned The Great British Bake Off Imagine Me & You “The Bonny Swans” The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison The West Wing Moana To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis  Ponyo The Little Mermaid Spirited Away Snow White Coraline by Neil Gaiman Children’s author Frances Hardinge Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre miniseries Good Omens TV se

On today's episode we are talking about dystopian stratified societies and "layered cities". Our tentpoles this week are An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon, the Snowpiercer movie (the original one), and “To the Victor, The Spoil” by Annakovsky.   What We’re Into Lately Black Water Sister by Zen Cho The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo The Devil Comes Courting by Courtney Milan Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone marigolds by colbub Avatar: The Last Airbender fic Rogue One fic Hikaru no Go Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell City of Blades by Robert Jackson Bennett The Imperial Coroner The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard Other Stuff We Mentioned The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins “Dixit Dominus” by George Frideric Handel Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison The Testaments by Margaret Atwood The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan Dragon Ball Persona 5 Embers by Vathara The Untamed City of

On this week's episode, we're discussing those models of decorum and tranquility: Games, and game-adjacent narratives! The tentpoles this week are the C-drama version of Hikaru no Go, the film Jumanji: Into the Jungle, and the fanfic you wait and you wonder who’ll take on your odds by paperclipbitch.   What We’re Into Lately   The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrum The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter Yellow Jessamine by Caitlin Starling marigolds by colbub The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett    Other Stuff We Mentioned The Bachelor franchise Uprooted by Naomi Novik Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik The Queen’s Gambit Chess (musical) The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett Jumanji Aladdin E.T. The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi Labyrinth Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll DIE by Kieron Gillen & Stephanie Hans Casino Royale Harry Potter

On this week's episode, we're discussing jobs, occupations, and vocations, both fantastical and mundane despite the fantastical settings.  The tentpoles for this episode are Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef by Cassandra Khaw, Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, and “Always Near” by afrai.   What We’re Into Lately A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark  How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole Hollow Empire by Sam Hawke The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi  Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Hiding in the Leaves by aventria & iluxia (Naruto fanfic) Legend of Yun Qian Scarlet Heart   Other Stuff We Mentioned Jumanji Labyrinth Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke  "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula K. Le Guin Naruto After Working At Google, I’ll Never Let Myself Love A Job Again (Op-Ed, NYT) My Life as a Background Slytherin (webcomic) Avengers movies Superhero Damage Insurance (TikTok) Rogue One Star Wars franchise The Mandalorian Be the Serpent Space Sweepers episode The Sorcerer of t

On today's episode, we're getting unseasonably spooky as we talk about Gothic novels! The tentpoles for this episode are Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the film Crimson Peak, and the Untamed fanfic Imago by astrophyllite.   What We’re Into Lately Word of Honor The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta Die, Volume 1 by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans Dread Nation by Justina Ireland Don’t Look Back series by acuteneurosis ShuoshuoChinese Trading for a Living: Psychology, Trading Tactics, Money Management by Alexander Elder Untamed fanfic, as always   Other Stuff We Mentioned The Wicked + the Divine by Kieron Gillen Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen American Psycho Tim Burton’s Alice movies Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë The Untamed Under The Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske Bluebeard folktale Beauty and the Beast folktale East of Sun and West of the Moon folktale Eros and Psych

On this week's episode, we're talking about postapocalyptic fiction, specifically stories set in the wake of a climate apocalypse. The tentpoles are Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse, the fanfic "Moebius" by AuroraNova and Mad Max: Fury Road.   What We’re Into Lately The House of Niccolò series by Dorothy Dunnett Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert Parks and Recreation The World Figure Skating Championship A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge love, in fire and blood by cicer Practical Creativity by Raph Koster    Other Stuff We Mentioned Be the Serpent, Episode 3: Apocalypse Sometime, Maybe Next Tuesday Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge  The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge  Be the Serpent, Episode 38: A Hugo Award Special — The Novels of 2018 “Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time” by K.M. Szpara The Old Guard Atomic Blonde Studio Ghibli movies James Bond movies “Peer Gynt” by Grieg The first Mad Max movie Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman  Mass Effect games The e

On today's episode we're buckling on our space shoes, picking up our space harpoons, and charging up our space laser guns, because we're doing a deep dive on the new South Korean scifi film, Space Sweepers.   What We’re Into Lately An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon The House of Always by Jenn Lyon Disarmed by Sarah Rees Brennan Word of Honor The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno Garcia Boku no Hero Academia fanfic of the Star Wars crossover variety

On this week's episode, we're getting the gang back together to talk about girl gangs, teen squads, and spooky witchy girls! The tentpoles this week are The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke, Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark, and the fanfic “21st Century Girls” by springgreen.   What We’re Into Lately Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by K.J. Charles Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi Dawn by Octavia Butler A Bouquet of Czech Folktales by Karel Jaromír Erben, trans. Marcela Sulak Boku No Hero Academia fanfic as day follows night by The_Eclectic_Bookworm The Untamed fanfic Word of Honor   Other Stuff We Mentioned Men in Black  Society of Gentlemen series by K.J. Charles The Chrysalids by John Wyndham Buffy the Vampire Slayer Guardian Nirvana in Fire 20th Century Boys manga series Sailor Moon manga series My Little Pony  St. Trinians  Ralph Breaks the Internet Stranger Things Jennifer