Galaxies and Goddesses: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Bookcast

What should you read after finishing Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy? Andrea and Elizabeth discuss the books they picked up after Assassin’s Quest, along with other stories that came to mind while reading about Fitz, his companions, and the world of the Six Duchies. Whether you loved the character development, worldbuilding, or magic of Farseer, there's plenty of inspiration for your next read!

00:47 Our Next Reads After Assassin’s Quest

07:20 When You Want Something Different

12:31 Back to Robin Hobb’s World

14:53 Characters You Won’t Forget

17:40 Magic, Politics, and Epic Fantasy

26:01 How We Choose Our Next Read

Books mentioned

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

The Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb

Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

White Fang by Jack London

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

References: 

The 10 Best Books of 2025. Time. Lucy Feldman. 

https://time.com/7333809/best-books-2025/

Where to Start with Robin Hobb: A Reading Guide. Northern Bibliophile.

https://northernbibliophile.com/where-to-start-with-robin-hobb-a-reading-guide/

Andrea and Elizabeth return to Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy to discuss Assassin’s Quest, the epic conclusion to Fitz’s journey. They explore Fitz’s search for purpose, the role of prophecy, and how his growing circle of companions helps him along the way. They also debate whether the ending feels rushed or satisfying, consider the mysteries left unanswered, and share their ratings for the final book.

Spoiler warning⚠️: Major spoilers for all three Farseer books, especially Assassin's Quest! 

04:49 Fitz Finds His Purpose

09:30 Prophecy, the Catalyst, and the Wheel of Time

13:22 Fitz’s New Pack

15:29 Does Assassin’s Quest Stick the Landing?

23:43 A Bittersweet Ending and Unanswered Questions

28:17 Our Ratings and What Comes Next

Realm of the Elderlings Discord 

A giant buddy read of the entire ROTE series starting October 2026. One book each month.

Available at the link in bio on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thank.thegods.for.smut/

What actually makes a book horror? In this spooky season episode, Andrea and Elizabeth explore where horror, fantasy, science fiction, and literary fiction start to blur together. They discuss unsettling books without traditional monsters, monsters that aren't necessarily scary, and the horror of human behavior and systemic injustice. Along the way, they discover that horror can take many forms, and perhaps the genre is harder to define than they thought.

00:47 Recent Reads

07:08 What Even Is Horror?

11:34 When Fantasy Starts to Feel Like Horror

14:39 When People Become Monsters

18:00 So, Do We Actually Like Horror?

23:58 Widening the Definition of Horror

Books Mentioned

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

It by Stephen King

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monica Kim

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Connect with us on IG: @galaxiesandgoddesses

Bookshop.org affiliate storefront:
https://bookshop.org/shop/galaxiesandgoddesses

In this episode of Galaxies and Goddesses, Andrea and Elizabeth dive into Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, the second book in the Farseer Trilogy. They talk about Fitz's growth from a young assassin into someone with deeper relationships, stronger alliances, and a much bigger role in the politics of Buckkeep. As the enemies seem to be at every turn, who is the biggest threat and are we really seeing the whole picture?

Spoiler warning⚠️: This episode contains major spoilers for Royal Assassin and Assassin’s Apprentice, the first two books in the Farseer Trilogy.

00:44 First Impressions

04:50 Fitz Grows Up

10:48 Team Fitz Assembles

14:20 Enemies Abound

21:59 Memorable Word Choice

23:49 Looking Ahead

28:45 Ratings

Support the Show

Explore our Bookshop.org storefront to find the books we discuss. Purchases support independent bookstores and help keep the podcast going.

https://bookshop.org/shop/galaxiesandgoddesses 

In this episode of Galaxies and Goddesses, Andrea and Elizabeth wrap up Summer Book Bingo by sharing some of their favorite reads from the challenge. They talk about books that they couldn’t put down, the strange ways a Bingo category can change how you look at a book, and some thought provoking weird little books. A few are sci-fi, a few are fantasy, and some are just really great stories about community and character.

01:36 Books We Couldn't Put Down

07:22 The Books That Made Us Look Twice

12:35 Excellent Standalone Novels 

18:32 Weird Little Books

26:17 One Word Title

27:34 A Book to Make You Smile

Books discussed in the episode: 

Good People — Patmeena Sabit 

(Debut Novel)

The Correspondent — Virginia Evans 

(Bird on the Cover)

White Fang — Jack London 

(Bird on the Cover)

Dungeon Crawler Carl — Matt Dinniman 

(First Person POV)

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter — Stephen Graham Jones 

(Standalone Novel)

The Everlasting — Alix E. Harrow 

(Time Travel)

This Is How You Lose the Time War — Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 

(Time Travel)

The Factory — Hiroko Oyamada 

(In Translation)

The Empress of Salt and Fortune — Nghi Vo 

(Novella)

Small Things Like These — Claire Keegan

(Novella)

Beartown — Fredrik Backman 

(One Word Title)

Lobster Is the Best Medicine — Liz Climo 

(Read in a Day)

Books also listed on our Bookshop.org affiliate storefront:
https://bookshop.org/shop/galaxiesandgoddesses

Additional References: 

The Tales Behind the Branding of 32 Storied Book Publishers. Brian LaRossa.

https://brianlarossa.medium.com/the-tales-behind-the-branding-of-32-storied-book-publishers-f14679107742

In this episode of Galaxies and Goddesses, Andrea and Elizabeth dive into books on their TBRs for years, or even decades. This week, they're talking about the books and authors they've read a book or two and want to keep reading, from Margaret Atwood and Brandon Sanderson to Stephen King and George R.R. Martin. They discuss intimidating series, unfinished stories, forgotten books on their shelves, and the many ways book logistics influence what they actually read next.

Elizabeth’s TBR

Catch-22 — Joseph Heller 

(because dystopia is on her mind)

Oryx and Crake — Margaret Atwood 

(because The Handmaid’s Tale was excellent!)

The Dark Tower — Stephen King 

(because it’s the last in the series)

Andrea’s TBR

The Blind Assassin — Margaret Atwood 

(because she loved Oryx & Crake!)

Mistborn — Brandon Sanderson 

(because she loved Tress of the Emerald Sea)

A Dance with Dragons — George R. R. Martin 

(if the sixth book comes out)

Additional References:

The NPR Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

https://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books

In this episode of Galaxies and Goddesses, Andrea and Elizabeth dive into Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice. As the first book in the Farseer Trilogy, the story follows Fitz, a young royal bastard who is drawn into the dangerous world of court politics and magic. They talk about why this classic fantasy felt surprisingly familiar, yet how Hobb’s detailed writing and worldbuilding pulls in the reader. They also discuss favorite characters, the mysterious magic systems of the Skill and the Wit, and why they’re excited to read more.

01:41 Plot Recap and First Impressions
02:43 Writing Style and Structure
05:31 Names, Magic, and Influences
10:34 Favorite Characters and Worldbuilding
12:53 Words That Stuck with Us
18:29 Word Choice and “Throve”
20:50 YA Vibes and a Library Hunt
24:05 Ratings 
25:56 Bingo Squares and Final Wrap

Additional References:

The NPR Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

https://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books

In this episode of Galaxies and Goddesses, Andrea and Elizabeth explore the science fiction and fantasy worlds they'd most like to visit, from cozy escapes in the Shire and Panga to magical cities like Velaris, and dragon filled adventures at Basgiath..

Along the way, they debate what makes a fictional destination truly vacation worthy, whether they'd stay for a day, a week, or forever, and which famous worlds they'd rather avoid. Their conversation wanders through magical libraries, dragon safaris, space travel, and the surprisingly practical details of visiting imaginary worlds.

00:44 Dragons, Wildlife, and Fantasy Safaris

02:53 Choosing the Perfect Fantasy Vacation

06:44 Cozy Escapes or Epic Adventures?

10:07 Would Sci-Fi Worlds Actually Be Fun?

11:38 The Reality of Space Travel

14:31 Unexpected Tangents

18:06 Forever is a Very Long Time

19:57 Books Inspiring Real Life Travel

26:11 Library Must See Travel Plans

28:50 Worlds to Avoid

30:28 Does Travel Change Your Reading?

34:09 Outro

Books & Series Mentioned:

The Lord of the Rings — J.R.R. Tolkien
A Court of Thorns and Roses — Sarah J. Maas
A Psalm for the Wild-Built — Becky Chambers
Fourth Wing — Rebecca Yarros
Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir
Foundation series — Isaac Asimov
The Maid and the Crocodile — Jordan Ifueko
A Discovery of Witches — Deborah Harkness
Brimstone — Callie Hart
Game of Thrones  — George R. R. Martin
Dune — Frank Herbert
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan — Lisa See
Memoirs of a Geisha — Arthur Golden

Other references:

Artemis II astronauts have toilet trouble on their way towards the Moon
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87wy05wr4no

In this episode of Galaxies and Goddesses, Andrea and Elizabeth dive into Isaac Asimov's Second Foundation, the conclusion of the original Foundation trilogy. They discuss how the novel brings the series full circle while exploring its biggest ideas, including psychohistory, the rise and fall of civilizations, free will versus manipulation, and whether history can truly be predicted. Along the way, they examine the contrast between the First Foundation's physical sciences and the Second Foundation's mental sciences, debate the ethics of influencing society "for the greater good," and share why this classic science fiction trilogy continues to feel relevant more than 70 years after it was written.

⚠️ Spoiler warning: This episode contains discussion of major plot points from Second Foundation and the original Foundation trilogy. We avoid revealing the novel's biggest final twist.

03:28 Big Ideas That Stuck With Us

11:02 The Mystery of Second Foundation

14:03 Power, Control, and the Seldon Plan

22:59 Who Would You Recommend This Book

27:29 Final Thoughts and Ratings

Additional References:

The NPR Top 100 Science Fiction & Fantasy Books

https://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/139085843/your-picks-top-100-science-fiction-fantasy-books

Let’s Connect

Podcast Instagram: @galaxiesandgoddesses

If you loved the episode, be sure to subscribe and give a review!

In this episode of Galaxies and Goddesses, Andrea and Elizabeth revisit reading goals and New Year's resolutions set back in January. They check in on their 26 in 2026 reading lists, compare mid-year reading stats, and share the books that have stood out most so far this year. They also talk about the challenge of choosing what to read next, the freedom to put down books that aren't working, and how their Summer Book Bingo is going. Whether you're crushing your reading goals or completely off track, join the bookish banter and perhaps discover your next great read.

00:50 Revisiting Our Reading Resolutions
07:55 Mid Year Reading Stats
10:15 Progress on Our 26 in 2026 Lists
11:41 Our Favorite Books of the Year So Far
16:24 Deciding What to Read Next
21:41 Book Bingo Updates
23:31 Books We Couldn't Finish
24:36 How to Join Our Summer Book Bingo
25:30 Reading Goals for the Rest of 2026
27:52 Closing Thoughts & Next Episode

Books Discussed in This Episode :

The Lord of the Rings — J. R. R. Tolkien

The Hobbit — J. R. R. Tolkien

Her Body and Other Parties — Carmen Maria Machado

Katabasis — R. F. Kuang

Klara and the Sun — Kazuo Ishiguro
The Traveling Cat Chronicles — Hiro Arikawa

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil — V. E. Schwab
Atmosphere — Taylor Jenkins Reid
There There  — Tommy Orange
The Serviceberry — Robin Wall Kimmerer
Good People — Patmeena Sabit
Project Hail Mary — Andy Weir
The Mythmakers — John Hendrix
The Housemaid — Freida McFadden
I'm Glad My Mom Died — Jennette McCurdy

Let’s Connect

Podcast Instagram: @galaxiesandgoddesses

If you loved the episode, be sure to subscribe and give a review!