Shows
Fantasy Book SwapEp 37: Totally Elemental with Esther MacCallum-Stewart, Chair of Glasgow 2024 WorldConAli’s choice: The Boggart by Susan Cooper. Ali’s edition with cat tax.
Esther’s choice: Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll
Elle’s novel A Kind of Spark was adapted by CBBC. Several members of the cast are neurodiverse.
Information about dyspraxia here
Elle McNicholl’s website
Esther and Ali mention a lot of books and other media! Hilary McKay’s Casson family books, Terry Pratchett’s Only You Can Save Mankind, the spinning room in Poltergeist, You’re Wrong About… podcast on the Amityville horror and the CBC podcast on...
2023-09-271h 06Fantasy Book SwapEp 36: Ghosts, machines and aliens with Kit PowerKit’s choice: The Tripods by John Christopher
Ali’s choice: Wildspark by Vashti Hardy
Kit’s Patreon
Kit’s page on Amazon
Kit reads his essay on The Tripods on his podcast feed
The British Fantasy Society award shortlist
Thanks as always to Steve Vapour Trails. Check out his radio show on Radio Lewes here! Thank you to Danny for the fresh new idents, and to Jack Sadler-Johnson for the use of his beautiful track Bliss.
I have signed up for Ko-Fi. For the month of...
2023-08-151h 29Fantasy Book SwapEp 35: A Confusion of Susans with Juliet KempJuliet’s choice: We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome. There is a small display related to the Swallows and Amazons at the Ruskin Museum in Coniston, in the Lake District. It’s not far from Hill Top, Beatrix Potter’s house near Ambleside.
Ali’s choice: The Strangeworlds Travel Agency: The Edge of the Ocean by L. D. Lapinski. I talked to Phil Dyson about the first book in the series, way back in episode 2!
Find links to Juliet’s social media and information about their books from their website. Check out th...
2023-07-281h 01Fantasy Book Swap34: Dragons and radical empathy with Trip GaleyTrip’s choice: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
Ali’s choice: How To Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
The full list of Magic Shop books here
Cressida Cowell’s Wizard of Once books and new book, Which Way to Anywhere have more diverse casts.
My now 14-year-old as Hiccup when he was 5. He cosplayed Hiccup at his first Eastercon.
The note that Mr Elives gives Jeremy and the magical librarian Hyacinth Priest from the US edition of Jeremy Thatcher. Illustrator: Gary A. Lippincott.
How To Trai...
2023-07-141h 03Fantasy Book SwapEp 33: A refreshing lack of Wizard Dads with SJ GroenewegenEpisode 33- A refreshing lack of Wizard Dads with S.J. Groenewegen
SJ’s choice: Andra by Louise Lawrence, with the ABC TV cover
Ali’s choice: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
SJ’s website: https://www.sjgroenewegen.co.uk Pre-order The Disinformation War here
@nyssa1968 – twitter
Reachingforthevoid - tumblr
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9781913380809/ - links to pre-orders/orders for the Disinformation War, out on 13 June.
SJ will be at Super Relaxed Fantasy Club on...
2023-05-2357 minFantasy Book SwapEp 32 Imaginary horse husbands with Kari SperringKari’s choice: The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell
This is the edition that Kari has
We talk about the illustrations, by Ralph Thompson: Kookaburra and Wombat
Ali’s choice: Abyssinia by Ursula Dubosarsky
A doll’s dress at Rouse Hill Farm Estate, New South Wales
Other books mentioned in the episode
Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague
The Pullein-Thompson sisters
Ruby Ferguson’s Jill books and sequels by Jane Badger, righting the wrongs of Jill being exiled from the world of ponies
The...
2023-04-1100 minFantasy Book SwapEp 31 Getting rid of parents and grumpy magical helpers with Kate TownerKate’s choice: The House of Arden by E. Nesbit
Ali’s choice: Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
The Mahabharat has been dramatized twice for TV. This is the one I watched in the 1980s.
If you want to read the other great Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana, I recommend this graphic novel version told from Sita’s perspective.
A new biography of Edith Nesbit was published in 2019.
The House of Arden was dramatized for BBC radio in 1989. You can buy an audiobook collection of Nesbit...
2022-11-051h 04Fantasy Book SwapEp 30: Hot Gladiators and Plague GodsA bumper episode of 1 hr 20!
Matt and Nina from Even the Trunchbull come to mine, after I guested on their podcast discussing Joan Aiken's Nightbirds on Nantucket and the lovely picture book Peggoty Po.
Matt and Nina’s book: Slaves of the Mastery by William Nicholson
Ali’s book: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda
Book covers- compare Slaves of the Mastery with The Hunger Games
The cover that would have put Matt off, which reminded me of Stephen Pearson’s classic posters
Follow Even the Tr...
2022-10-111h 22Fantasy Book SwapMoomintroll and a china rabbit with Laura Mauro at FantasyCon 2022This episode was recorded live at FantasyCon 2022 so the sound is a little echoey
Laura is a games writer, Manga translator and the award-winning author of Sing Your Sadness Deep (2019) among other wonderful things. You can follow her on Twitter here, and find out more at LauraMauro.com
Laura’s choice: Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson
Ali’s choice: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
We mention Tove Jansson’s biography by Boel Westin
I really love Kate DiCamillo’s work, and John Coxon read Flora & Ulysses...
2022-09-2545 minFantasy Book SwapEp 28: Two horse girls’ training montages with Caroline MerseyTwo quick warnings:
This episode contains mentions of sexual assault and abduction. Please proceed with care.
It was recorded over the bank holiday in Brighton. Caroline and I attempted to find a quiet corner of a pub to record in during a day out, and despite fiddling with editing there is background noise.
Caroline’s choice: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. Sadly, it seems to be out of print in the UK, and it doesn’t appear to be available as an audio book or in ebook format, which is a real shame.
Ali’s choi...
2022-09-011h 02Fantasy Book SwapEp 27: The Anti-Reepicheep League with Ang RosinThe Anti-Reepicheep League shownotes
Ang’s choice: Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
Ali’s choice: The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
Ang and Ali are book twins
How I imagine Sardines doing his dance
Reepicheep: ugh
The Secret of NIMH is very weird
The Trailer for the upcoming animated film of Amazing Maurice
Follow Ang on Twitter @ang_grrr
Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I know people reviewed on other...
2022-08-121h 08
Even the TrunchbullEpisode 33 - Soon May The Wellerman Come (Nightbirds on Nantucket and Peggony-Po) with Ali BakerThis week we’re reading books about 19th century whaling. Our picture book is ‘Peggony-Po’ by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, and our chapter book is ‘Nightbirds on Nantucket’ by Joan Aiken
We have a guest this episode! Ali Baker is the founder and host of Fantasty Book Swap podcast, which you can check out here - https://alibaker68.podbean.com/
. . . Look out for us on an episode fairly soon!
The podcast ‘Research Hole’ has an excellent episode on the real story behind Moby Dick, which gives a good insight int...
2022-08-0453 minFantasy Book SwapEp 26: Fairies and witches and toads, oh my!Show notes ep 26
Fairies and witches and toads, oh my!
Kit’s choice: The Stream that Stood Still by Beverley Nichols (who is a man! And he had quite the life).
Ali’s choice: Otherland by Louie Stowell. Louie’s very funny The Dragon in the Library was one of the books discussed in Episode 1, with Helena McCallum
Kit’s book, In the Heart of Hidden Things, can be bought as a hardback or ePub. Kindle edition here and audiobook via Audible here. You can see Jenna Barton’s artwork here.
Other...
2022-07-291h 01Fantasy Book SwapEp 25: Timeslips and dreams with Tony KeenApologies for the sound: it was incredibly hot in the kitchen in Hove so we recorded with the window open, so there is some traffic noise in the background.
Tony’s choice: Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Ali’s choice: The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman
Tony mentions the difference in portrayal of Roman slavery in Spartacus and Gladiator; can we only empathise if the protagonist is enslaved unjustly? More information on Spartacus here with links to information about screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who had been blacklisted after appearing before the House of Un...
2022-07-0357 minFantasy Book SwapEp 24: Look into my eyes with Russell SmithRussell’s book: The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross
Ali’s book: Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Catherine Butler wrote a paper about mind control in children’s literature and you can read it here
Russell and I talk about the new series of The Demon Headmaster. You can watch it on BBC iPlayer.
Information about the 1990s series can be found here
There is a second Amari book on the way.
I like the look of this and I saw this on Twitte...
2022-06-161h 03Fantasy Book SwapEp 23 Sweet Polly Oliver goes Over The Hills: Sharpe and Monstrous RegimentSpoilers for Monstrous Regiment in this episode!
Please note that some women who went to war disguised as men lived as men for the rest of their lives (such as James Barry) while others returned to living as women after their service. Sergeant Jackrum may be considered the former; he may have considered himself a trans man, if such terms were available to him in Discworld.
Alistair’s choice: Sharpe’s Eagle by Bernard Cornwell
Ali’s choice: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
During the discussion, Alistair and I talked about the rep...
2022-06-0330 minFantasy Book SwapEp 22: I’m just a teenage necromancer, babyI recorded this episode after having Covid, which affected my asthma. Apologies for the audible wheezing.
Scott’s choice: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
Ali’s choice: Sabriel by Garth Nix
Buy from your local bookseller, such as Bert’s Books in Swindon!
The awful adaptation of A Wizard of Earthsea: Legend of Earthsea and a much better one: Tales from Earthsea
Vetch is indeed a plant.
HP Lovecraft Band’s song Country Boy and Bleeker Street
Scott mentions the Caryl Chu...
2022-05-101h 09Fantasy Book SwapEpisode 21: Fantasy Book Swap Live!!! at Reclamation 2022, with Tasha SuriShownotes
Recorded at Reclamation 2022, the British Science Fiction and Fantasy Fan convention. Join us next year with Conversation 2023!
With guest Tasha Suri
Tasha’s pick: Alanna, The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Ali’s pick: Utterly Dark and the Face of the Deep by Philip Reeve
Follow Tasha on Twitter and Instagram
Many thanks to everyone who got up before 10:30am on Bank Holiday Monday to be at the recording! And thanks to you for listening.
2022-04-2100 minFantasy Book SwapDeploy Emergency PodcastA very short emergency podcast due to life, the pandemic and the general state of things that have disrupted my recording schedule. How rude.
This episode is inspired by Octothorpe’s episode 54, Embrace the Sweat, where in discussion about Naomi Novik’s A Deadly Education Alison suggested that it was the first book to challenge the classism of the Harry Potter series. I disagree!
You can find out more about Jonathan Stroud here. I think he’s a fantastic author. The first of the Bartimaeus books is The Amulet of Samarkand . We meet Kitty Jones and th...
2022-04-0700 minFantasy Book SwapEp 19: Fairytale retellings and socialist fantasy with Ali WilliamsPlease note that there is mention of transphobia in this episode.
Warning: there is mild swearing and a lot of cackling.
Ali Williams’s book: Beauty by Robin McKinley
Ali Baker’s book: Magyk by Angie Sage
Robin McKinley’s website here
Angie Sage’s website here
This is Laurie Pink, Angie Sage’s child, who is an artist: https://mobile.twitter.com/lauriepink
Ali Williams’s website: https://www.aliwilliams.org/ where you can find links to her lectures, Romancing the Discourse, her editing and writing. You...
2022-03-1800 minFantasy Book SwapEp 18: Going Underground Joan Aiken’s Is and Frances Hardinge’s A Face Like GlassAisha’s book: Is by Joan Aiken
Ali’s book: A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
You can find out about all of Joan Aiken’s books here and follow her daughter, Lizza on Twitter.
Aisha mentions The Harp of Fishbones, The Kingdom under the Sea and A Necklace of Raindrops with Jan Pienkowski’s illustrations, such as these ones
You can hear LeVar Burton reading ‘Furry Night’ from The People in the Castle here
Frances Hardinge’s website, Facebook fan page and Twitter
Ali’s editions here an...
2022-03-0600 minFantasy Book SwapOf Wolves and Birds with Damien HineDamien’s choice: Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
Ali’s choice: Asha and the Spirit Bird by Jasbinder Bilan
Jasbinder Bilan wrote about the inspiration she got from a trip to India here
You can find Damien Hine on Twitter here and Facebook. The audiobook of Out of Atlas can be bought here. Damien will be at the British SFF convention, EasterCon. You can buy membership here, but do it soon as prices will be rising at the end of the month.
Fantasy Book Swap is Hugo-eligible! If you’re a member...
2022-02-2300 minFantasy Book SwapSpooky Old Houses and Ghostly MousesThis episode has a very special guest… my dad, Michael Baker, who was 84 yesterday. You can see him wearing his favourite hat here. This photo was taken last May, on my sister Kate’s belated 50th birthday. It was absolutely freezing!
Our choices were:
John Masefield's The Midnight Folk
Chris Riddell's Ghost Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse
During the podcast I mention John Masefield’s poem Sea Fever. You can read it here. I just found this poem, The Ship and Her Makers, which seems closer to his prose, somehow...
2022-02-1347 minFantasy Book SwapEpisode 15: Crushing on ChrestomanciAlice’s choice: Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
Ali’s choice: Who Let The Gods Out? by Maz Evans
You can find Alice on Twitter, read her on Book Riot and read her webcomics here
The most obvious example of an Agatha Christie novel with an unreliable narrator is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Alice mentions Robin Steven’s wonderful Murder Most Unladylike books, which I can’t recommend enough.
Do you use Storygraph to log your reading? Follow me there, and see what is coming up on the podcast! https://a...
2022-01-2747 minFantasy Book SwapEpisode 14- Series 1 finale. Of spooks, skeksis and SherlockThank you, dear listeners, for your support and interest. Fantasy Book Swap has had 1000 downloads on Podbean! Look, I have the badge to prove it!
This episode has the favourite winter reading of:
Nicholas Jackson
Danny
DC
so thank you all for your contributions! I very much enjoyed listening to them.
Fantasy Book Swap is taking a break until the end of January, when I will be back with Fantasy Book Swap 2: Swap Harder.
Thanks, as always, to Steve Vapour Trails for production support, and fo...
2021-12-2900 minFantasy Book SwapWolves are not the most dangerous creatures in this forest: Stephanie Shields, The Dark is Rising and BreadcrumbsStef’s choice: The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.
Ali’s choice: Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu.
See one of Erin McGuire's illustrations for Breadcrumbs here
You can find Stef on Twitter and Instagram, and buy her books here https://www.cynefinroad.co.uk/shop
The next episode will be the last for a bit; I’m taking a break in January and will be back in early February.
Do you use Storygraph to log your reading? Follow me there, and see what is coming up on the podcast! https...
2021-12-2100 minFantasy Book SwapEp 12: Anne is not the Sansa Stark of the Famous Five- Fiona Moore on Edward Eager‘s Knight‘s Castle and Stephanie Burgis‘s The Dragon with the Chocolate HeartYou can find Fiona on Twitter, and her blog here, where you can find links to her fiction and other work. You can buy Fiona’s book on Doctor Who: The Robots of Death here. Fiona’s tiny buildings can be found on Instagram and Beau Paddington’s wardrobe on Twitter.
Fiona’s choice was Edward Eager’s Knight’s Castle, which easily available in secondhand editions. However, N. M. Bodecker’s illustrations are hard to beat, so try to find an edition including them. My favourite is here. Fiona mentions the Christmas song Silver Bells, and we discuss the...
2021-12-1400 minFantasy Book SwapWinter special trailerGet involved! Email your voice recording introducing your favourite winter reads to fantasybookswap@gmail.com.
2021-12-0400 minFantasy Book SwapEp 11: Farah Mendlesohn, Fattypuffs and Thinifers and LightfallFollow Farah on Twitter. Farah is also a co-chair for the Eastercon 2024 bid
Farah co-authored Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction with Michael Levy, and is the author of The Intergalactic Playground: A Critical Study of Children's and Teens' Science Fiction
Farah recommends The Tea Dragon Society
Farah's choice: Fattypuffs and Thinifers by Andre Maurois
Ali's choice: Lightfall by Tim Probert
Please tell me your favourite Winter reads! Record a short voice note and email fantasybookswap@gmail.com
Thanks to Steve Vapour Trails for production assistance and Jack...
2021-11-2600 minFantasy Book Swap”More funny than Thomas Hardy”: John Coxon, Rebecca‘s World and Flora & UlyssesRebecca’s World by Terry Nation
As John states, there is an Audible audiobook of Rebecca’s World, read by Paul Darrow, who was indeed Avon from Blakes 7.
Flora and Ulysses by Kate di Camillo. There is a Disney film based on the book; see the trailer here
The Tale of Despereaux trailer on YouTube
John mentions Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz
Ali mentions The Eighteenth Emergency by Betsy Byars and You’re A Bad Man, Mr Gum! by Andy Stanton
Octothorpe British SFF fandom podcast with Liz Batty, John an...
2021-11-1100 minFantasy Book SwapEp.9 ”Not your average hawk”: Tamora Pierce‘s Tortal universe with Ruth HuntGuest: my colleague Ruth Hunt. Find out more about Ruth and her research here
Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce
The Tortall universe in chronological order- though new readers would be best off starting with Alanna: The First Adventure
Tamora Pierce’s thinking about gender identity and sexuality has changed over time
An interview with Tamora Pierce on Beyond the Trope podcast
Ruth Hunt the Wild Mage’s wildlife photos here
Thanks to Steve Vapour Trails for production assistance. Please check...
2021-10-3000 minFantasy Book SwapEpisode True 8- Virginia Preston, cricket, cake and nunsAntonia Forests’s The Cricket Term
Daisy May Johnson’s How To Be Brave
Fantasy Book Swap episode with Daisy
The Dickens novel that we couldn’t remember was Dombey and Son, where an annoying child does indeed die
The Worst Witch- Mildred unmasking the evil witches
Eva Ibbotson’s books: The Journey to the River Sea is set in the Amazon rainforest
Many of Angela Brazil’s books are on Project Gutenberg
Nicola and Rowan discuss Dorothy L Sayers’s Murder Must Advertise. A cricket matc...
2021-10-1757 minFantasy Book SwapEpisode 7 ”No booty call for Merlin”: Tiffani Angus on Mary Stewart‘s The Crystal Cave and James Clammer‘s Why I Went BackContent warning for non-explicit discussion of sexual violence and mental health crises including sectioning.
Recorded live at FantasyCon, so there is background noise of 3D humans, including some sound bleed of the panel in the room next door. Let's call it atmosphere!
Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave- it is in fact a quintet, not a trilogy
James Clammer's Why I Went Back
I got Steve and Jimmy's friendship origin story wrong- Steve was friends at university with some of Jimmy's friends, but they actually met in Brighton. My story is better...
2021-09-2849 minFantasy Book SwapEpisode 6 Fran Dowd: Puffin Club, Hobberdy Dick, The Wee Free Men and More!Show notes Episode 6
Hobberdy Dick song by Rod Anderson https://www.reverbnation.com/rodanderson
The Wee Free Men (from Steeleye Span’s Wintersmith album) https://youtu.be/ybsZpSn1grg
Sheffield Science Fiction and Fantasy Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2388189214
History of the Puffin Club https://puffinclub.co.uk/history
Link to K. M. Briggs’ papers and correspondence at University of Leeds https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/6579
Terry Pratchett’s books for younger readers https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/book-series/younger-readers/
We also ta...
2021-09-1800 minFantasy Book SwapEpisode 5 Daisy May Johnson, Five Children and It and The Time of Green MagicUnfortunately, we had technical difficulties recording this episode, so it is slightly shorter than usual.
Quick correction: Nesbit’s relationship doesn’t seem to have been poly. It has been described as an open relationship, but her husband Hubert Bland’s affairs don’t seem to have been with her consent.
Nesbit Five Children and It. My edition is the Puffin Classics one published in 2008, with the foreword by Quentin Blake, but really poor-quality reproductions of illustrations.
Hilary McKay The Time of Green Magic MacMillan’s Children’s Books.
Daisy May Johnson’s wonderful book...
2021-09-0600 minFantasy Book SwapEpisode 4 Steve Brooks The Trigan Empire and Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl The Graphic NovelCONTENT WARNING- this episode discusses racism and orientalism in the context of children’s comics.
Look and Learn Book of The Trigan Empire 1973- Some Trigan Empire books have been republished by Rebellion Publishers, owners of 2000AD https://2000ad.com/news/out-now-the-trigan-empire-vol-1/
Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel by Michael Moreci and Stephen Gilpin. We know that there is a film; we haven’t been able to bring ourselves to watch it.
The names of the characters in Die Hard are of course John McClane and Hans Gruber.
Peric’s daught...
2021-08-301h 07Fantasy Book SwapEpisode 3 Alison Scott, Marianne Dreams and Tamarind and the Star of IshtaIn which Ali gets the name of the podcast wrong twice!
Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr
Tamarind and the Star of Ishta by Jasbinder Bilan, @jasinbath on Twitter
We also mention Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Catherine Storr's The Chinese Egg and Marianne and Mark, and Jasbinder Bilan's Asha and the Spirit Bird.
Alison's book recommendation list: https://www.facebook.com/alison.scott.3998/posts/10158236430174766
Stow Shirts on Etsy
Octothorpe podcast (where news of Punctuation 3 is likely to be found!) https://octothorpe.podbean.com/
Escape into N...
2021-08-161h 12Fantasy Book SwapEp 2 Phil Dyson Howl's Moving Castle and Strangeworlds Travel AgencyIn this episode, Phil and Ali discuss Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and Strangeworlds Travel Agency by L.D. Lapinski.
Please note that we spoil some important points of both books!
Of course the first Chrestomanci book is Charmed Life! Please don't shout at me.
You can find Phil @phildyson on Twitter. Find out more about EasterCon 22 @reclamation2022 and https://reclamation2022.co.uk/. You email Phil via the site.
As always, Letters of Comment welcome via fantasybookswap@gmail.com
2021-07-2700 minFantasy Book SwapS1 Ep1 Helena McCallum Trees, libraries and dragonsHello! Welcome to Fantasy Book Club's first episode, in which SFF conrunner, creative writing tutor and pandemic warrior Helena McCallum and Ali discuss childhood comfort reading, accessing books from libraries and jumble sales, Collins children's classics, punishment of unruly bodies in children's literature and the education of wizards. Enjoy!
With thanks to Helena McCallum (@adela_terrell).
Music- Bliss by Jack Sadler-Johnson, with many thanks
Production support by Steve Vapour Trails (@SteveVapourTra1)
2021-07-1400 minFantasy Book SwapTrailerTrailer! Coming soon from a kitchen in Hove... chat, jokes, social justice and Mild Peril!
2021-07-0100 min