This week, we read the first chapter of The Hobbit, and discuss the introduction of Bilbo, the temporary permanence of The Shire, the value of the unreliable narrator, and the (speculative) adventures of Belladonna Took.

Show Notes:
Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (Corey Olsen)
The Annotated Hobbit (Douglas A. Anderson)
The History of the Hobbit (John Ratliffe)

Shire Reckoning is a Next Word production. For bonus episodes and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/NextWord.

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Music by Corvus from Pixabay.

This week, how do we understand the how, what and why of magic and spellcasting in the stories of Professor Tolkien? Why is free will so important when it comes to asking for help? How do the adaptations of Tolkien's books stack up against those of other fantasy authors?

Show Notes

• Was Gandalf Just A 5th Level Magic User? (EN World)
• A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. Le Guin)
• A Wizard of Earthsea (1996 BBC Radio)
• Earthsea (2004 Miniseries)
• Tales From Earthsea (2006)
• A Real Taste For Fairy-Stories (Verlyn Flieger)
• The Horn and the Sword (Thoughts on Tolkien)
• Lore Speakeasy and Escape Room

Shire Reckoning is a Next Word production. For bonus episodes and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/NextWord.

Follow Shire Reckoning on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

Music by Corvus from Pixabay.

In our first live session, we take a look at the history of The Hobbit, from it's (very famous) initial conception, through to the publication of the first edition in 1937. How does this the tale of Bilbo Baggins sit alongside the great stories of Elves and Men that Tolkien was already writing? How are we to understand the narrative frame?

Show Notes:
Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (Corey Olsen)
The Annotated Hobbit (Douglas A. Anderson)
The History of the Hobbit (John Ratliffe)
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Adam's Notebook (Medium)

Shire Reckoning is a Next Word production. For bonus episodes and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/NextWord.

Follow Shire Reckoning on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

Music by Corvus from Pixabay.

This week, the magic of maps in fantasy fiction -- and in Tolkien in particular -- and an introduction to the podcast.

Show Notes

• L Frank Baum's map of Oz
• Robert E Howard's map of the Hyborian Age
• "Celebrating Christopher Tolkien's Cartographic Legacy" (John Crowe, Reactor)
• "What to expect from Amazon's Lord of the Rings show and its Second Age setting" (Devan Coggan, EW)
• LOTRProject
• Stars And Swords: Footnoting Genre Fiction
• "After 3 years of trying, Lord of the Rings Online's 'Great Hobbit Run' ends in confused success as a mob of low-level players gets lost inside Mount Doom and decides it's close enough: 'Sauron can kiss my butt!'" (Andy Chalk, PCGamer)
• The Lord of the Rings Online
• Queer Approaches to Tolkien: Essays on the Many Paths to Middle-earth (Robin Anne Reid, Christopher Vaccaro, Stephen Yandell)
• Pity, Power and Tolkien's Ring (Tom Hillman)
• The Tides Of Time, The Tides Of Fate, And The Power Of Song (Tom Hillman, The Journal of Tolkien Research)
• The Atlas of Middle-earth (Karen Lynn Fonstad)
• Maps on Display: Fantastic Worlds Exhibit Coming this Summer! (UW-Madison)

Shire Reckoning is a Next Word production. For bonus episodes and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/NextWord.

Follow Shire Reckoning on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

Music by Corvus from Pixabay.

Welcome, and thanks for listening! Shire Reckoning is a new podcast dedicated to the study, discussion and celebration of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The first episode will arrive on Sunday, July 13th, 2025. I hope you can join me!

Shire Reckoning is a Next Word production. For bonus episodes and to support the show, visit Patreon.com/NextWord.

Follow Shire Reckoning on YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram.

Music by Corvus from Pixabay