The Buddies tackle James Islington's "The Will of the Many," a fantasy novel that's been described as "Red Rising meets Magic School" but turned out to be more like "Tenant in a pyramid scheme." The Buddies dove into a world where people literally give up their will to power society, while the rich kids attend prestigious schools and play extreme capture-the-flag. In this episode the Buddies debated many topics including: whether naked fighting is the ultimate power move,  the merits of getting knocked unconscious to time travel, and if this book series is going to be more like Lost season 1 or the Mistborn series. So join us as we grease ourselves up, and fire at Will into The Will of the Many.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-4:55)

Stock Up/Down (4:56-38:57)

Favorite Scene/Character (38:58-43:21)

Love/Hate (43:22-53:41)

Conclusion (53:42-56:32)

NEXT BOOK: The Strength of the Few by James Islington

The Buddies were lucky enough to have author TJ Derry on the pod to talk about his debut thriller, Carried Away. A book that starts as a dreamy Indonesian surf vacation and ends with them questioning every outdoor activity they've ever considered. The Buddies dove into the book and many other topics with TJ and finished things off with their patented podcast categories.  So pack your trusty flint, some iced cold beers, and strap in for an amazing debut novel and thrill ride. 

Intro/Book Report (0:00-1:08)

TJ Derry Interview (1:09-50:31)

Stock Up/Down (50:32-1:06:19)

Favorite Scene/Character (1:06:20-1:14:31)

Love/Hate (1:14:32-1:23:21)

Conclusion (1:23:33-1:25:53)

NEXT BOOK: The Will of the Many by James Islington

Warning: if you liked this book, you’re probably not going to like this episode. The Buddies spent 45 minutes trashing Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben's new book collaboration "Gone Before Goodbye". A book so spectacularly bad that the Buddies are considering picketing Barnes & Noble. This literary dumpster fire had all the hallmarks of a ChatGPT fever dream: nonsensical plot twists, a plastic surgeon performing expert heart surgery, even the clever character names like "Pork Chop" and "Cinderblock" couldn’t save this one. So grab your Thumper 7 artificial heart, practice your most unrealistic dialogue, and join the other Buddies/listeners who can appreciate a good 0.5-star review. Fool us once, Reese - never gonna fool us again.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:52)

Stock Up/Down (3:53-34:15)

Favorite Scene/Character (34:16-39:46)

Love/Hate (39:47-44:37)

Conclusion (44:38-48:18)

NEXT BOOK: The Will of the Many by James Islington

The Buddies are once again revisiting their old pal Vince Flynn, in his 2003 thriller "Executive Power". This one had all the elements of a classic Mitch Rapp novel: fast paced, action packed, and a shockingly detailed description of Rapp's "tan scar-dappled muscly torso" that definitely moved something (in George Costanza's words). The Buddies got to chatting about whether this was actually a David book disguised as a Mitch book, how Austin Powers is definitely still alive and working for MI6, and the critical importance of Mitch lying to his wife for national security reasons. So crack open a Miller Lite, practice your sniper calculations with wind speed and dew point, and join the other disciplined listeners who ask for forgiveness not permission when downloading this pod.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:05)

Stock Up/Down (3:06-32:42)

Favorite Scene/Character (32:43-36:46)

Love/Hate (36:47-45:59)

Conclusion (46:00-48:58)

NEXT BOOK: Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben

On this episode, the Buddies return to their YA roots with Marie Lu's 2011 dystopian novel "Legend". This one had all the elements of a classic YA novel, enemies to lovers, some love triangles, and of course a story that focuses on 15-year-olds that are the smartest people alive, Olympic-level athletes, AND models. The Buddies got to chatting about the difference between sociopath/psychopath/masochist, ChatGPT writing books, and the importance of not wearing jewelry/accessories. So, leave your neckless at home, but practice your Spider-Man climbing skills, and join the other Legends that listen to this pod, better known as Buddies.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:01)

Stock Up/Down (3:02-33:21)

Favorite Scene/Character (33:22-38:12)

Love/Hate (38:13-48:11)

Conclusion/Casting (48:12-52:07)

NEXT BOOK: Executive Power by Vince Flynn

The Buddies return with Fredrik Backman's 2025 novel "My Friends," their second dive into Backman's work after "Anxious People." They get to chatting about art snobs, nicknames, train conductor, and how this books first draft was originally was way more depressing. The Buddies try to bring some levity to this one (and some much-needed revenge on specific parents). Like the book this one is filled with a bunch of ups and downs. So, fill out your postcards, imagine you are 14 again (you’ll need it for our sense of humor), and join us along with all of our other Buddies, or as we like to call them “My Friends”.

Intro (0:00-4:11)

Stock Up/Down (4:12-38:32)

Favorite Scene/Character (38:33-42:11)

Love/Hate/Lingering Questions (42:12-53:08)

Conclusion/Casting (53:08-57:26)

NEXT BOOK: Legend by Marie Lu

The Buddies are back for their sixth rodeo with Pierce Brown's "Light Bringer," the final book in the second Red Rising trilogy (before the 7th book). The Buddies needed some cliff notes to remember what happened in this one (it was a lot). The gang discusses Mission Impossible/Scooby-Doo mask reveals, and how Atlas has been playing 4D chess while everyone else was playing checkers. There's also talk of self-help books, Darrow having an identity crisis, and Virginia actually getting to do cool Mustang things instead of just being stuck in meetings. So grab your 35-hour audiobook stamina, practice remembering approximately 847 character names, and join the Buddies as we contemplate life until Red God comes out.

Intro/Book Summary (0:00-5:37)

Stock Up/Down (5:38-32:12)

Favorite Scene/Character (32:13-36:25)

Love/Hate (36:26-50:45)

Conclusion (50:46-55:36)

NEXT BOOK: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

The Buddies are back to continue their "summer saga series" (say that 10 times fast) with Pierce Brown's "Dark Age," the fifth book in the Red Rising universe and second in the Iron Gold trilogy. This new trilogy is basically Game of Thrones in space, but with more creative ways to die. The Buddies got to discussing summer camps, habituation, the Black Knight from Mondy Python, and how this book made the battle of Helm’s deep blush. That and much more. So grab your anti-radiation meds, practice your habituation techniques (you'll need them), and join the Buddies as they navigate a book where Mercury finally gets some respect and literally everyone you like probably dies!

Intro/Book Summary (0:00-4:29)

Stock Up/Down (4:30-44:23)

Favorite Scene/Character (44:24-50:23)

Love/Hate (50:24-58:59)

Conclusion (59:00-1:02:02)

NEXT BOOK: Light Bringer (Red Rising Book 6) by Pierce Brown 

The Buddies are back from their extended hiatus (sorry vacations, bats, and constipation got in the way) to tackle Pierce Brown's "Iron Gold," the fourth book in his Red Rising series. The first trilogy currently sits #1 in both Keith and Dman’s rankings, so big expectations for this one. The Buddies got to revisit their old friends Darrow, Severo, Mustang, and many more along with some new friends as well. Did Iron Gold meet the Buddies high standards? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out. So, grab your razor, practice your "Hail Reaper" salute (but maybe not in public), and join the Buddies as they navigate Pierce Brown's expanded universe of morally questionable heroes and volume-inconsistent narrators! 

Intro (0:00-3:13)

Stock Up/Down (3:14-34:25)

Favorite Scene/Character (34:26-41:40)

Love/Hate (41:41-50:36)

Conclusion (50:37-53:25)

NEXT BOOK: Dark Age (Red Rising Book 5) by Pierce Brown

The Buddies tackled Bill Belichick's "The Art of Winning" with the religious devotion only Patriots fans can muster. The Buddies got to chatting about why selfish players are actually fine, the tragic lack of insider Patriots secrets, and whether comparing NFL salary caps to office vlookups should be a crime. They also debated who should play Belichick in a biopic (Dennis Quaid vs. Randy Quaid, depending on how crazy things get). So grab your tattered hoodie, your "I f*cked that up" attitude, and join us as we read through the Greatest Coach of All-Time's new book.

Intro/Book Report (0:00-3:58)

Stock Up/Down (3:59-27:21)

Praise/Lack of acknowledgements (27:22-33:47)

Love/Hate (33:48-40:37)

Casting the Movie/Biopic (40:38-42:35)

Conclusion (42:36-45:00)

NEXT BOOK: Iron Gold by Pierce Brown