Escapists Anonymous

Dan challenged Sam to read one of his favourite books, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, and now we get to find out what he thought. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. We dive into the intricate world of Brandon Sanderson's "Mistborn." In this episode, they explore the unique magic systems, character arcs, and the rich world-building that makes this series a standout in modern fantasy. The allure of Sanderson's rules-based m...

Sam and Dan review Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. Join Sam and Dan as they dive into the intricate world of V.E. Schwab's latest novel, "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil." This episode unravels the layers of vampire mythology, exploring themes of power, identity, and the human condition. From the unique mechanics of vampirism to the rich character arcs, Sam and Da...

Sam and Dan review Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. In this episode, Dan and Sam delve into the world of sci-fi with a discussion on Adrian Tchaikovsky's 2025 novel, Shroud. They explore the novel's themes of human experience through a sci-fi lens, focusing on the biology of alien life and the societal structures of humanity in space. The conversation touches on the book's portrayal of corp...

Sam and Dan review The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. We explore Christopher Buehlman's Dungeons and Dragons inspired world through this first-person retrospective epic adventure containing, thieves, assassins, giants and goblins. We deep dive into our narrator's character development, his perspective and wonderful use of humour. We talk about our favourite parts of the world...

Sam and Dan review Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner, the final instalment in The Fallen Gods Trilogy. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. Having felt a bit let down by book 2 in this trilogy, Sunbringer, we are tempted back to Faithbreaker by Hannah Kaner's amazing world-building and her enjoyable characters. We work our way through each character's conclusions and how we felt about the plot, relationships and character growth...

Sam and Dan review The Book That Held Her Heart by Mark Lawrence, the final instalment in The Library Trilogy. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. Having enjoyed the first two books in the series, we have high hopes for the finale. We discuss our feelings on some of the decisions Mark Lawrence made when landing the plane. We talk plot, characters, world, and themes, before coming onto how we felt about the trilogy as a who...

Sam and Dan review The Familiar, by Leigh Bardugo. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. Leigh Bardugo is hugely successful in the Young Adult Fantast world, but how will her work in the adult fiction sphere hold up. We discuss the price of being a woman with ambition, and magical powers, in 16th century Spain during the inquisition. We debate whether this is more of a fantasy, historical fiction, or even romance novel. And ...

Sam and Dan review The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. We've heard lots of good things about this 2024 release and so we're excited to review yet another fantasy book about books. We discuss some things we like, and several elements that we struggled with. Join in the conversation by following us on social media @EscapistsAnonymousPod.

Sam and Dan review The Devils, by Joe Abercrombie. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. We deep-dive into one of the year's hottest releases. The Devils, by Lord Grim-Dark himself, Joe Abercrombie. We compare this to Abercrombie's First Law world, before exploring this diverse cast of characters and perspectives. We evaluate the plot, which might be built for the big screen. And as always, we nit-pick at the things we didn'...

Sam and Dan review Pagans, by James Alistair Henry. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. We delve into this crime-thriller set in an alternative version of modern-day England, where 1066 never happened and Pagan religion and culture dominate. We struggle to figure out whether this is a fantasy book or an alternative history, before discussing the world-building, plot and characters. Join in the conversation by following us ...

Sam and Dan review The Book That Broke the World, by Mark Lawrence: book 2 in the Library Trilogy. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. Having given the prestigious Escapists Anonymous 'Book of the Year 2024' award to The Book That Wouldn't Burn, there were high expectations for the sequel to deliver on this great promise. We delve into the introduction of new characters and new perspectives. We discuss the broad range of d...

Sam challenges Dan to read his first two Discworld novel, and in this episode, we discuss both Pyramids and Guards Guards and compare views. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading both books before listening. Pyramids and Guards Guards are books 7 and 8 in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. We discuss why Sam felt these were a good starting point for Dan to enter the world and how Dan found both books, before delving into conversations on Pratchett's w...

Sam and Dan review The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, by Shauna Lawless. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. The Children of Gods and Fighting Men is the first novel in Shauna Lawless's Gael Song trilogy. We delve into our first historical fantasy. We explore the key themes, the historically accurate plot and how the history drives the plot, and our two main characters, one who experiences a journey of enlightenment an...

Sam and Dan review The Great When, by legendary writer, Alan Moore. SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains spoilers. We strongly recommend reading this book before listening. The Great When is the first novel in Alan Moore's planned series titled 'The London Quintet'. We get into the various plot strands that are introduced and tied off throughout. We discuss our main protagonist, Dennis Knuckleyard, along with some of the prominent side characters. And we discuss Alan Moore's incredibly abst...

Sam and Dan are joined on the podcast by self-published author, Dan Hanly, to discuss his debut novel, The Great Leap (book 1 in the Children of Innauron series). SPOILER ALERT: While we try to avoid spoilers, the interview inevitably refers to events that occur throughout the book. We ask Dan all about his thinking behind the world, characters and plot in The Great Leap, along with trying to tease out some of his thinking on the rest of the series. We also cover Dan's writing philosophy an...