Episode 74: The Sorting Hat and Other Trials - Finding your Tribe in Speculative Fiction

 

Recently, the book world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of J.K.Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Aside from making at least one of the dragons feel really old (1997 was 20 yrs ago for frick's sake!) it got them thinking about the strange turn bramches of speculative fiction took in the wake of the successful franchise. Namely that of a tribal mentality amongst fans which extended beyond the fndom and into everyday life. SFF authors J.A.Ironside and M.E.Vaughan examine this phenomena looking at examples of 'tribes', factions and found family from books such as Harry Potter, Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Tamora Pierce's Circle series. Join us for a fascinating look at how speculative fiction plugs into the deep seated human need for a place to belong.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic