Welcome to Episode 63 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on Joe Abercrombie‘s Red Country with an interview of the author himself, who confesses his early love for role playing games, his desire for something more out of his epic fantasy (specifically:  grit, emotional range and humor), and his investment in the world he’s built and in which he wants to remain.  Joe’s got a lot of interesting things to say about the usual parameters of epic fantasy, and this was a fun interview to conduct.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll conclude our triptych with a discussion of a few of the more notable writing techniques used in Red Country.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!