Two historical novels with elements of fantasy and folklore will bring readers from the battlefields of World War One to the last years of the Qing Dynasty in China.

Katherine Arden's The Warm Hands of Ghosts shows the terrors of war and the unsettling and fantastical things that can appear in its shadow. Arden joins us to talk about her extensive research, classical allusions in her writing and more with guest host, Jenna Seery.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo bridges the mystical and the familiar with an expansive story featuring a detective and mysterious and sly (yet alluring) fox spirits. Choo talked with us about writing in this setting, cultural influences on her work, connections to nature and more with host, Miwa Messer.

We end this episode with a TBR Topoff from booksellers, Marc and Mary.

Featured Books (Episode):

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Paradise Lost by John Milton

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo

The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng

Featured Books (TBR Topoff):

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu