The Boiled Leather Audio Hour

It’s our big day. Since 2011, we published 100 episodes proper of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, aside from 38 Boiled Leather Audio Moments, 11 Boiled Leather Audio Conversations and 25 Boiled Leather Audio Popculture essays. Reason enough to take a step bake and a deep breath and to look at things from a bigger points of view. Things, in this case, is the whole of “A Song of Ice Fire”. Why should people read it? What does it mean? We don’t ask these questions anymore when we’re doing in-depth analysis of sample chapters and the like, but today, we’re deliberately slowing down. Look at the big picture. Take some time, lean back. And you are coming with us. It’s a journey of positivity. And there’s also some rape and violence. But mostly, good feelings. Thanks everyone, for doing this with us and making it possible! Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter.

With the final movie of the sequel trilogy now out in theaters, Sean and I take a deep dive into “Rise of Skywalker”. It’s not really a spoiler to say we weren’t impressed, but unlike our vivid disagreements about the merits of “The Last Jedi” - which we revisit in the light of this movie and general internet discourse -, we’re in exhaustive (in more ways than one) agreement on this one.  Follow us while we dissect production issues, baffling storyrelling choices, the quest for Finn’s characters, the myriad of things the movie does right, a discussion of the virtues of Lando Calrissian and more! Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter.

After we talked about the Night’s Watch, the Faith and the Citadel and their voting mechanisms in the last episode, we’re finally back to tackle other, even tornier election issues. How do the Great Councils of Westeros play out, if they play out? What is the big might have been of 181 AC? How does the Triarchy of Volantis fare on the democracy scale, and is it a better place than King’s Landing due to its political system? All of this, and more, with my co-host and friend Marcus A. Roberts, whose worklife as a political consultant gives him unique insight. If you find my rambling about the Great Council of 101 AC a bit strange, then entertain the hypothetical that I might have mixed up my facts and couldn’t resolve the ensuing confusion completely in post-production. Not saying this is what happened, but it’s a hypothetical to consider. Download the episode! Torrent BLAH Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. BLAH iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Marcus on Twitter.

We’re on it again! After analyzing Theon I last month, we’re now taking an in-depth look at Mercy I. Will the roads of Braavos prove treacherous grounds? Will mercy in the end be delivered, or will all the whores and politicians have their shouts for mercy die away while Arya looks down and whispers “no”?  All of this, and more, in the second entry of a series looking at all published TWOW sample chapters one at a turn, trying to analyze them as thoroughly as possible. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Sean on Twitter.

In a terribly clever title, I invite Clint Woods aka The Laws of Ice and Fire (see what I did there?) to talk about, well, the laws of ice and fire. We start slowly with the narrow and easily answered question of whether there’s a rule of law in Westeros, and we dive deep into the weeds from there on.  From inheritance rights to class-based justice, from sexism embedded in the legal code to guest right, from the role of tradition to the chances for reform, we cover the broad picture of how law is exercised in Westeros.  If you think this is exciting, then you’ll be glad to learn that we had an absolute blast recording this episode and will surely be back sooner rather than later to narrow the discussion from the broader themes in this episode to more concrete questions. So view this as part one, if you will. Thanks again to Clint for doing this. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Javi Marcos on Twitter

We’re finally doing it! No one asked for it, others have done it as well, but we’re undaunted by such trifles. The original dynamic duo is at it! We’re taking a deep look at the first released sample chapter, Theon I, of the upcoming “The Winds of Winter”. We make no prediction as to when it will be out, but if it’s anything like this chapter, oh boy, it will be glorious. Come with us as we find out whether Theon’s in purgatory or receiving the just desserts for his actions, dream along with Stannis Baratheon, take pride in the downfall of Arnold Karstark, be puzzled by Justin Massey and crow along with the ravens: “Tree! Theon!” If these references fly over your head, reread the chapter before listening to this episode. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Sean’s blog. Stefan’s blog.

I hope you’re all in for a bit into the very nichest of niches, as I draft my co-host Javi Marcos to talk about an obscure 1940s fantasy novel called “The Lord of the Rings”. It was a modest success after its publication in the 1950s and spawned a small but dedicated following. Many people do not know this, but there was also a movie adaption in the early 2000s that had some minor cultural impact.  All kidding aside, We take on the big granddaddy of Fantasy. Not only do Javi and I talk about the cultural impact that the books and the movie trilogy (we don’t even mention the animated one), we’re also trying to place it in its time and compare it to “A Song of Ice and Fire” and its own cultural impact.  On this journey, you will learn why the bible is essentially required companion reading material, why Harry Potter was also influential for the gestation of the Nerdstream that got shot into the stratosphere with Lord of the Rings and why the story is so compelling, even though its characters, writing and pacing are not exactly what any writer would advice you to settle on.  Plus, my German accent is not the most exotic thing of the podcast for once as Javi brings his own Spanish flair with him :) Download the episode!  Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Stefan’s blog. Javi Marcos on Twitter

Ice and fire, snow and sand, Stark and Targaryen, Others/wights and dragons–that’s the dominant binary for the series, obviously. However, water is also a key “element” for the setting in general and the books in particular. The Iron Islands, the Riverlands, Dorne, and the Stormlands are all characterized by their relationship to water. House Greyjoy and House Velaryon and (though less prominently) House Redwyne derive their power from the water. The Rhoynar remain a water-based culture, centuries removed from the Rhoyne. The Rhoyne itself was the locus of an entirely unique form of magic, with water wizards and their giant turtles, and the Bridge sequence shows some of that magic is there still. The smoking seas around Valyria are, apparently, truly full of horrible creatures. Back in the day there were the Deep Ones and remnants of their culture remain to this day, both in that oily black stone architecture and in the legends of the squishers and the merlings. The Drowned God and krakens look set to play a major role courtesy of Euron Greyjoy’s fleet. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Sean’s blog. Stefan’s blog.

Westeros is a continent of jagged coasts, forbidding mountains, looming forests and lush rivers. Geography is destiny, though, as they say. Therefore, it makes sense to take a deeper look at how the continent shaped the people living on it, and how it informs the themes of the story. Can we make inferences as to why people are the way they are because of the geography of their kingdom? Do rivers determine the plot of the story? With me to talk about this today is Jim McGeehin, of Wars of Ice and Fire fame, and who better to discuss these issues than someone as adept in worldbuiding as him? Together, we take a journey from the Land Beyond the Wall to Dorne, from the Iron Islands to the Vale, from the Reach to the Stormlands, and we wonder why the Westerlands are Terra Incognita in Westeros. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Jim McGeehin Twitter Wars of Ice and Fire tumblr Stefan’s blog.

We’re always about the big themes and the big picture here on the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, and since the Patreons voted for it, Michael the “Bookshelfstud” and I are going to tackle the issue! Once and for all, we’re going to settle the question of what the story is actually about in the space of a comfy our of podcast. Just kidding, of course. Obviously, the question of what “the story is really about” and what the big themes are is preposterously big, so we can only take a stab at the rough contures of it, identifying stuff we need to talk about next in the process. However! In our tour de force, Michael and I try to tackle questions of war and peace, the nature and role of power, gender roles and whether or not believing in romantic ideals makes you good or dumb. As you can see, there’s a lot to cover, and a lot to discuss! On a sidenote, I tried a different recording software this time around, so please report back whether or not the performance has been improved. Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour. Torrent Our iTunes page. Previous episodes. Podcast RSS feed. Bookshelfstud Twitter Bookshelfstud blog Stefan’s blog.