We're back for the second half of Iron Maiden's first double-album, The Book of Souls. Ed and Stu discuss Bruce's health, the length of this album and the band's longest ever song (Empire of the Clouds at over 18 minutes), and the commercial and critical success of this album. We're so close to the end, beloved listeners! One more album to go!!!

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If you are enjoying the show, join us on the Maiden Voyage Patreon to support what we're doing! Patrons are our best friends!   Like, Rate, Subscribe and Review the Maiden Voyage Podcast. We're desperate for your approval!   Send questions, comments and praise to [email protected]   Follow Stu and Ed on Bluesky.   Visit the Vintage RPG website to check out Stu's other podcast, Vintage RPG, and sign up for the newsletter for an in-depth dive into the art & history of tabletop roleplaying games, and check out unwinnable.com for the best cultural commentary around.   Check out Stu's book, Monsters, Aliens and Holes in the Ground, from MIT Press. Pick up a copy directly from MIT Press, from your local bookstore, or from an online book seller that doesn't suck, like Bookshop.org.    The Maiden Voyage illustration is by Shafer Brown. Follow him on Bluesky and Instagram.   Maiden Voyage is recorded, edited, mixed and mastered by Ed Coleman. The show is produced by Ed Coleman and Stu Horvath.   Theme music composed by Sam Retzer, under license from SmartSound.   This podcast is a labor of love based on decades of devoted fandom. We strongly encourage listeners to buy Iron Maiden's albums or listen to them using your favorite streaming music service to support these heavy metal legends. To check out the cover art for the band's albums and singles, visit the band's excellent website.