This is another one of MacDonald's discourses on faith. It doesn't move the plot forward much, except it does make sense for someone who's had a run-in with the magical or the miraculous to talk it over with loved ones. Make sure you stay through to the end of the episode if you want to know what it sounds like when a 5-year-old is done recording.

She gets me. I done got got.

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The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

This is a long one, as Curdie the miner boy meets Irene's grandmother finally, and confronts what he did to her pigeon. While this book as a whole has a bit too much fire and brimstone for my taste, I rather like these opening chapters.

There's a Lydia-composed song fragment at the end that I rather enjoyed.

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

We begin what's going to be a long path of Biblical imagery for this book. I'll admit upfront that Curdie's response to being touched by a divine messenger is unexpected, though.

In that vein, there's a pretty frank discussion between an adult and a five-year-old about the merits of hunting in this episode. I think it's a good idea for kids to know where meat comes from, but if you don't think your children are ready then you might want to steer clear. Other than that, pleasant dreams.

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

George MacDonald waxes poetic about magma and recaps the plot of his previous novel, "The Princess and the Goblin," in this chapter.

For our part, Lydia takes me up on my offer to answer any questions she has, and I can't even get our podcast's name right, or the book's title either. Welcome to Season 2, and don't blame me. I voted for The Wizard of Oz.

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

As you can see, George MacDonald loved a good tautology. Here we are at the end of our first season. We'll stumble into "The Princess and Curdie" after the New Year. Also, looks like I was still calling this thing "Sleepytime Stories" right up until then. I'm genuinely curious to find out how deep that error stretches into Season 2!

This is more of a denouement than a chapter, simply tying up a few loose ends and sending the characters on their way. However, it is framed by some super solid Lydia nonsense on either end, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I left the sound of my dad closing a somewhat difficult bedroom door because I thought it was funny. Sorry about that. :-)

Thanks for giving us a good first year! We'll talk to you again in 2020.

   -Matt

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

Originally recorded in North Carolina, this episode has a bit of a different energy to it. Lyd's having a good time during this one, and so am I.

This is the moment where the goblins "Plan B" comes to fruition, with unintended consequences for all. I think it's safe to say that MacDonald's goblins are clever without being at all wise.

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

Lydia does some slight impromptu voice acting in this one-- I like it! She's also at her chirpiest, giving us constant commentary, so this may be one of my favorite episodes. Enjoy!

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

If you've ever wanted a chance to get to know a stuffed ray named Moon Eyes, she and Lydia are both chatting up a storm early on in this short episode. This is an aftermath chapter. While we know the Princess and Curdie are momentarily safe, we also know the goblins had a destructive contingency plan in place, so the story shifts to the miners' survival!

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

Curdie finally gets to have an apologetic chat with Princess Irene-- listen to children, y'all. Reunited, the heroes get to plan their next steps against the goblins, and realize that the goblins are about to do Something Terrible.

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.

Fans of a rambunctious girl-child won't be disappointed by this episode! Ain't gonna lie, her antics made this the hardest episode to edit thus far.

My apologies for not updating last week. I started a new job AND got the most persistent case of food poisoning at the same time! I'm adjusting my schedule accordingly. I'm also on a new computer, which I think overall improves the quality of this episode, but I have some things to learn about the new rig as well. All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.

Leave us a message if you're having fun.

The sources for our text are the cyber-scribes at gutenberg.org;   Our theme song is Jimbo’s Lullaby by Claude Debussy performed by the Riverside Wind Consort via musopen.org. Pleasant dreams.