Segueing into Spooky Season, this week we’re bringing a seasonally-appropriate episode on witchy books! Focusing on The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke and Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper, we discuss the different takes on witches in both novels, their representation of magic-wielding lesbian and bisexual women, and how supernatural elements are used to underscore and develop the character relationships. (And also how a drag show act served as the seed of inspiration for this episode.)

Content warnings: car crash, parental death, homophobia

Other media mentioned

• The Sandman (comic)

As always, you can learn more about our podcast at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

The start of fall may be nearing, but we’re here to prolong summer with an episode on the movie Fire Island! A modern gay adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, it follows a group of friends on their annual summer vacation. Topics include how the movie updates the novel’s social commentary and class dynamics, what makes the iconic Elizabeth/Darcy relationship work, and how the film deviates from the source text in fun and interesting ways. Also, a lot of positive yelling about the romance.

Other Media Mentioned:

• The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

Content Warnings: discussions of classism, anti-Asian racism, and revenge porn.

It’s summer, and that means sunny weather, visits to the beach…and murder? This week’s episode is on two seaside mysteries, Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow and I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick. Topics include mental health representation, balancing nuanced characters with twisty plots, and how the setting enhances both books. (Note: we do not spoil the big plot twists in either of these books.)

Media mentioned

• The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke

Content warnings

Murder, drowning, racism, mental health struggles including suicidal ideation and intrusive thoughts

You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

We’re back! This week, we’re discussing A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske and and Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, two novels that reimagine English history with a magical twist. Topics include wizard bureaucracy, ambitious women, and the way that both novels intertwine fantasy and history.

Other media mentioned:

• A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Content warnings: Discussions of historical homophobia, racism, sexism, slavery, and colonialism.

You can learn more about Never The Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

This week, we’re discussing the recent Netflix show Arcane! An animated blend of science fiction, fantasy, and crime drama, it’s also an adaptation of the video game League of Legends–something we know pretty much nothing about. However, we both still adored it. Topics include the show’s careful construction of inevitable tragedies, the complex cast of characters, the gorgeous animation, and one aspect where we think it stumbles.

Other Media Mentioned:

• Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow (forthcoming June 2022)

Content Warnings: discussions of murder, violence, emotionally abusive relationships, terminal illness, classism, and ableism.

This week, we take a trip back to 1987 to discuss the horror-comedy movie The Lost Boys. Following a pair of brothers who move to a sunny California town plagued by vampires, the film includes a tangled love triangle, some inventive methods of murder, and a lot of 80s fashion. Topics of discussion include possible gay subtext, the deep-seated appeal of vampires, and why cinema needs more films about vampiric motorcycle gangs.

Other Media Mentioned:

• The Legend of Vox Machina

Content Warnings: mentions of drug use, murder, a controlling/abusive relationship, all the blood-drinking stuff that comes with vampires.

Step one: rob the rich. Step two: break a curse. Step three: interrogate your deep-seated childhood trauma. Who could this to-do list belong to? Why, none other than the protagonist of Little Thieves by Margaret Owen! This week, we dive into a delightful young adult fantasy retelling of the fairytale The Goose Girl following a teenage thief whose final heist goes terribly wrong. Topics include the hilarious and cynical protagonist, our love of a good heist story, the excellent romance, and the unexpected emotional depth through an exploration of childhood trauma.

Other Media Mentioned:

• BBC Starstruck

Content warnings: mentions of child abandonment and child abuse.

You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website, neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

Happy Black History Month! This week, we’re discussing two historical fantasy novels by Black authors: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark and The Conductors by Nicole Glover. Join us as we take a trip to nineteenth-century Philadelphia and twentieth-century Cairo and discuss compelling murder mystery plots, well-developed alternate histories featuring magic, and some unexpectedly lovely romances.

Other Media Mentioned:

• Our Violent Ends by Chloe Gong

Content warnings: discussions of murder, colonialism, anti-Black racism, and slavery

You can learn more about Never the Twins Shall Meet at our website neverthetwinsshallmeet.com

What’s more terrifying than a supervillain? A superhero, of course! In our twentieth (!) episode, we’re taking a look at the dark side of superheroes through the novels Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots and The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente. Topics include descents into villainy, misogyny in comic books, and whether the Joker pays his minions a fair wage.

Other Media Mentioned:

• Sword Stone Table edited by Swapna Krishna and Jenn Northington

Content warnings: mentions of violence, murder, medical horror and body horror, an abusive relationship, suicide, death of a child, and drug use.

This week, we’re diving into the King Arthur mythos! We discuss the book Legendborn by Tracy Deonn, an urban fantasy book that stars Bree Mathews, a Black teenage girl who discovers a secret society of demon-hunters descended from the Knights of the Round Table. Topics include our love of the fierce and complicated main character, Tracy Deonn’s scathing interrogation of racism in America, and how the book succeeds in making old myths feel new and unique.

Other media mentioned:

• For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

Content warnings: discussions of the death of a parent, antiblack racism, slavery, rape, and generational trauma.