Welcome to Episode 53 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our trademarked “quadtych” of shows on Throne of the Crescent Moon, the new sword and sorcery book by Saladin Ahmed, with an interview of the author himself. Saladin was one of our first interviews, way back in Episode 2, and it was fun to catch up with him now that he’s a published novelist. We talk to Saladin about his inspirations, the place of politics in fiction, and one of the many Easter eggs in Throne. Easter egg, you say? Yes, but you’ll need to listen to the episode to find out what. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll discuss writing technique inspired by our read of Throne of the Crescent Moon. Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!