Appendix N Book Club

Appendix N Book Club

Author: Jeff Goad, Ngo Vinh-Hoi, and special guests Language: English Episodes: 100
Dive into the foundational texts of imaginative fiction with the Appendix N Book Club. Hosts Jeff Goad and Ngo Vinh-Hoi, often joined by special guests, create a conversational space that feels like pulling up a chair in a lively bookstore's back room. Each episode focuses on a specific work or author from the realms of classic adventure, spine-tingling horror, seminal science fiction, and the wonderfully weird. The discussion isn't just literary analysis; it’s about tracing the direct line from page to game table, exploring how these stories fuel creativity and shape worlds. You’ll hear genuine reactions, unexpected connections, and personal insights into why these often-overlooked or legendary books still resonate so powerfully. This podcast is for anyone who loves the source material behind their favorite games or simply wants a thoughtful, unpretentious guide through the strange and thrilling shelves of genre fiction's history. The tone is friendly and deep-diving, perfect for long-time fans and curious newcomers alike. Tune in to hear a chapter-by-chapter journey through the books that built entire genres of play and imagination.
Episodes
Gretchen Felker-Martin's "Manhunt" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:28
Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss Gretchen Felker-Martin's "Manhunt", visceral horror-thrillers, section transitions, interchangeable characters, physical descriptions of characters, depictions of trans genitalia,…
Katherine Kurtz's "Deryni Rising" with our Patron Book Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:03
Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss Katherine Kurtz's "Deryni Rising", sarcophagi, achieving literary liftoff, the Brandon-to-Demos scale, fantasy worlds with real-life historical cultures, female fantasy authors wr…
James Enge's "Blood of Ambrose" with our Patron Book Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:58
Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss James Enge's "Blood of Ambrose", obscure words from classic languages, Scooby Doo episodes, slowing down for character development, The Book of the New Sun books, magic from alche…
H. Rider Haggard's "She" with our Patron Book Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:54
Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss H. Rider Haggard's "She", the smell of the flame, Haggard's other works, "the things dudes won't do for a hottie", the city of Cambridge, the good earthy feminine logic, being tor…
Charles R. Saunders's "The Quest for Cush" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:04
Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss Charles R. Saunders's "The Quest for Cush", the Swahili glossary, the shame of the King County Library system, fiction as gaming supplements, inversions of traditional sword and s…
Edgar Rice Burroughs's "The Gods of Mars" with our Patron Book Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:51
Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss Edgar Rice Burroughs's "The Gods of Mars", John Carter in a blond wig, repetitiveness in Edgar Rice Burroughs's works, French words, female characters' screen time, the Tree of Li…
Dan Simmons's "Hyperion” with our Patron Book Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:45
Our Patron Book Club joins us to discuss Dan Simmons's "Hyperion”, listening to audio books at work, Vaults of Vaarn, prescient fiction, choosing whether or not to continue on with fiction series, the Dying Earth, ambigu…