Episdoe 10: Underrated/Underread Authors & Build a D&D group

Undertowers Podcast

In this episode we discuss authors that we love that we feel either aren't as respected or aren't as widely read as they should be. Steven gets us kicked off with Lloyd Alexander and especially his Chronicles of Prydain series. Steven later talks about his admiration for Glen Cook and the Chronicles of the Black Company and Christopher Buehlman with his horror fantasy Between Two Fires in sharp focus as well as The Blacktongue Thief. Daniel brings the group his admiration for Jack Vance and especially his Lyonesse Trilogy as well as the late 60s novella The Dragon Masters. Vance’s most well known work is Tales of the Dying Earth. Daniel then shares his love for Robert Holdstock’s book Mythago Wood and it’s highly unique take on fantasy and also John M. Ford’s The Dragon Waiting, an alternate history fantasy novel. Sam begins his offerings with his love for Kurt Vonnegut and especially his novel Sirens of Titan. We also briefly discuss again the delight that was Galapagos even though it is seen as a “lesser” Vonnegut. Sam then talks about Fritz Leiber, the forgotten Sword & Sorcery master. His Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories are as exciting and inventive as they are hilarious. Lastly, he discusses Poul Anderson, especially through the lens of his masterwork, The Broken Sword. Released the same year as the Fellowship of the Ring, it is really interesting to see both the differences and similarities between Anderson’s wonderful novel and Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

Then, we build a D&D group starting with a Patron who set them on a quest before selecting a Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, Cleric, and then a Wild Card.

As always, thanks to Hole Dweller. You can find his song Greener Pastures from Crossroads on his bandcamp and all major streaming services.