A Grain of Sanderson

Today we read all of The Reckoners Book 2: Firefight, one of the best books we've read from Sanderson and our favorite episode we've recorded this year. Next time we're reading Shadows of Self, which will release either the 15th or the 22nd. Content warnings for this episode: aliens, apathy, assisted suicide, beheadings, being unhoused, betrayal, bleeding, bombs, bullying, cancer, Christianity, conspiracies, corpses, corruption, crushing violence, death, devils/Lucifer, drowning, faith, fire, force fields, gang violence, god, guns and gun violence, hospitalization, housefires, illusion magic, imprisonment, insanity, Jonestown Massacre, lying, many worlds theory, mental illness, mind control, misogyny, model minorities, murder, neglect, nuclear weapons, oligarchy, palliative care, paralell universes, prisons, racism, religion, royalty, self harm, sexualization, sin, spousal violence, stabbing, stereotypes, submarines, suicide, supervillains, telekinesis, torture, undeath, wounds References:Judge JudyFullmetal Alchemist - Hiromu ArakawaDaemons of the Shadow Realm - Hiromu ArakawaBioshock - 2KBioshock Infinite - 2KWhatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow - Alan MooreThe Autobiography of Mark Twain This show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

We're back with two more Sanderson short stories, Allomancer Jak & Legion: Skin Deep!Next episode we're reading all of Firefight! Episode airs: September 1 2026Content warnings for this episode:  ableism, assassination, atheism, betrayal, bleeding, body modification, cancer, Catholicism, Christianity, classism, death, DID, discussion of mental health, discussion of sexuality, existentialism, firearms, genetic mutation, germaphobia, germs, Greek Orthodoxy, guns, hallucinations, haunting, hostile corporate takeovers, imprisonment, imprisonment, infinity, insanity, kidnapping, military, mind control, minstrel shows, misogyny, Mormonism, murder, mutation, navy seals, Osama Bin Laden, passing, racism, race melodrama, religious conversion, religious extremism, schizophrenia, self harm, settler colonialism, staph bacteria, therapy, threat of torture, tokenism, viruses, wounds and infectionReferencesCoralineBatman - DC ComicsSherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan DoyleThe Octoroon -  Dion BoucicaultCrash Course Video expanding on this play and it's position in the history of US Theater V.E. Schwab Lampshading - OSPBathos - OSPThis show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

This time around we read all of Sixth of the Dusk, Dreamer, and Way of Kings Prime!Next episode we're reading Legion: Skin Deep & Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania! Episode airs: August 18 2026Huge thanks to Eamonn Tee for joining us this episode for a discussion on Sixth of the Dusk!Eamonn’s LinktreeEamonn’s Short Story InnsmouthEamonn’s Avatar ArticleContent warnings for this episode: ableism, alien invasion, animal abuse/death, betrayal, bleeding, body horror, body modification, broken bones, caste systems, child abuse, child death, christian imagery, classism, colonization, corpses, death, death of a parent, decay, demonic possession, genocide, insanity, insects, knives, maiming, mind control, misogyny, mormonism, murder, mutation, mutilation, police violence, racism, religious conversion, religious extremism, self harm, settler colonialism, slavery, stabbing, undeath, violent crime, war, wounds and infection  Graham's audio has some issues until maybe 20 minutes in but gets resolved, apologies. References Eamonn SectionTurncoat - Tihema BakerThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson Full Fathom Five: A Novel of the Craft Sequence - Max GladstoneRage of Dragons by Evan WinterKurangaituku - Whiti HereakaKawai - Monty SoutarReferencesDredge - Black Salt GamesIndiana Jones and the Great Circle - BethesdaStar Trek - Gene RoddenberryAvatar dir by James CameronAvatar: The Way of WaterAvatar: Fire and AshThe game Jack mentions but couldn’t name is called The Shapeshifting DetectiveWatch Dogs Series - UbisoftAustin Walker’s article about Watch Dogs and Shadow of Mordor This show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

Many Apologies for this being so long overdue. I promise the next few will come out sooner. Due to a file corruption issue, The Episodes for Shadows for Silence Through the Forests of Hell and Mitosis have been lost. I'm going to try restore as much as is salvageable from that episode before the end of the year, but at least one full audiotrack will be missing. Join us next time for Dreamer, Sixth of the Dusk (featuring a special guest), and Way of Kings Prime!Content warnings for this episode: ableism, addiction, age gap, betrayal, bleeding, body horror, body modification, broken bones, caste systems, child abuse, child death, christian imagery, classism, colonization, death, decapitation, discussion of sexuality, disembowelment, domestic violence, espionage, exsanguination, gaslighting, genocide, human sacrifice, insanity, knives, maiming, marital rape, mind control, misogyny, mormonism, murder, mutation, mutilation, racism, rape, rape culture, religious conversion, religious extremism, secret societies, self harm, settler colonialism, sexual content, sex work, slavery, slave races, stabbing, strangulation, suicide/suicidal ideation, surgery, terminal illness, undeath, wounds and infectionOther Things MentionedNetflix's Stranger ThingsA Song of Ice and Fire by George RR MartinPluribus This show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

Happy New Year! I am so sorry this episode is so late. Next episode, about Mitosis and Shadows for Silence Through the Forests of Hell will be out much, much sooner. Content warnings for this episode: beheadings, being unhoused, betrayal, bleeding, bullying, Christianity, conspiracies, corpses, corruption, death, gang violence, guns and gun violence, illusion magic, imprisonment, insanity, lying, mental illness, mind control, misogyny, murder, neglect, nuclear weapons, oligarchy, prisons, racism, religion, royalty, self harm, sexualization, stabbing, stereotypes, suicide, supervillains, torture, undeath, woundsOther mediaBrandon Sanderson reviews art of his charactersInjusticeAll Star Superman Superman Red SonDeath of SupermanBatman vs Superman The Reign of the SupermenInvincible The Boys Absolute UniverseThis show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

We read read truly one of the most baffling books we've ever tackled with special guest Sophie Abromowitz! Oh and a Wheel of Time cut chapter too.  Sophie's Vampire Short Story: https://thebrooklynreview.com/2025/10/31/rules-for-vampires-sophie-abromowitz/Sophie Substack: https://abromowitz.substack.com/Seriously everyone check these out, Sophie has very quickly become one of my favorite writers. Sophie Website: https://sophie-abromowitz.com/ Content warnings for this episode:  auditory hallucinations, betrayal, bleeding,  bullying, cheating/infidelity, child endangerment, child death, conspiracies, death, duels, gender dysphoria, god kings, human sacrifice, imprisonment, insanity, lying, mental illness, mind control, murder, neglect, nuclear weapons, oligarchy, prisons, religion, royalty, self harm, self hatred,  stabbing, tech billionaires, torture, undeath, wounds, xenophobiaNext month we'll be reading Steelheart! Episode airs, November 18th. Other Media The Coen Brothers Intolerable CrueltyMilwaukee PD Surviving Edged Weapons - Content Warnings Abound hereGod Emperor of DuneWii Sports ResortGuilty Gear Guild Wars 2 - Ghosts and Ascalon and The Sea of SorrowsThe Book of Atrus - Myst - Rand MillerRevenge of the Sith - Russel StoverChangeover: A Young Rivalry and a New Era of Men's Tennis - Giri Nathan Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus Is Alive! - Melissa Lozada-OlivaHot Streak Board Game The West Passage - Jared Pechaček Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway This show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

We're back with The Rithmatist!To skip A Memory of Light, Go to 29:41Next month we'll be reading Infinity Blade Redemption & River of Souls. Episode airs October 7th.Content warnings for this episode:  abandonment, ableism, betrayal, bleeding,  bullying, censorship, child abuse, child endangerment, child soldiers, Christianity, classism, colonialism, conspiracies, cults, death, displacement, existentialism, fandom, Harry Potter, human sacrifice, human transformation, immigration visas, J.K. Rowling, lying, mental illness, military, military academies, mind control, misogyny, Mormonism, murder, neglect, oligarchy, parental death, racism, religion, royalty, Scottish occupation, self harm, self hatred, settler colonialism, tourism, transphobia, undeath, Washington D.C.'s occupation, woundsReferencesThe Origins of the Wheel of Time by Michael LivingstoneGood Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (attain second hand)Brian Herbert Dune SequelsThe Expanse by James SA CoreyReturn of the King - The Scouring of the Shire You're Wrong About's 6 Part Series on Princess Diana This show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

We read two novellas this month, The Emperor's Soul is really good! Legion is the craziest thing we've ever read for the show (and maybe off the show too). Huge thanks to Kirk for guesting on this episode, you can find all his information here. https://kirkhamilton.com/ Next month we'll be discussing The Rithmatist and the End of A Memory of LightContent warnings for this episode: ableism, Abu Sayyaf, assassination, atheism, betrayal, bleeding, blood magic, body horror, body modification, bombing, braindeath, broken bones, Catholicism, Christianity, classism, death, discussion of sexuality, enemies to lovers, genocide, hallucinations, imperialism, imprisonment, Islam, Israeli/Palestinian war, insanity, kidnapping, maiming, mind control, misogyny, Mormonism, murder, mutation, mutilation, Navy Seals, necromancy, racism, religious conversion, religious extremism, religious wars, Richard Dawkins,  self harm, settler colonialism, slavery, stabbing, sterilization, strangulation, suicide, suicide bombing, suicide by police, terminal illness, therapy, tokenism, undeath, wounds and infectionThings MentionedDave (1993) dir by Ivan ReitmanThe Princess Bride dir by Rob ReinerThe Princess Bride by William GoldmanGladiator (2000) dir  by Sir Ridley ScottThe Matrix (1999) dir by The Wachowski SistersYour Name (2016) dir by Makoto ShinkaiMiniature PaintingGreat Big Beautiful Life by Emily HenryQuote Investigator Article about the Quote I attribute to Emerson https://quoteinvestigator.com/2016/06/20/books/ Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) dir by Mel StuartCharlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald DahlDisco ElysiumThis show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

Our shortest episode yet!We read two short stories this month, The Eleventh Metal is pretty good, and HARRE (Heuristic Algorithm and Reasoning Response Engine) is pretty interesting from production standpoint. Next month we'll be reading The Emperor's Soul and Legion, Episode Airs:  Third Week of June. Content warnings for this episode: ableism, addiction, age gap, arranged marriages, betrayal, bleeding, body horror, body modification, broken bones, classism, death, decapitation, discussion of rape, discussion of sexuality, domestic violence, enemies to lovers, eugenic breeding, eugenics, fatphobia, gaslighting, genocide, hallucinations, homophobia, human sacrifice, insanity, maiming, mind control, misogyny, murder, mutation, mutilation, racism, rape, references to Nazis, religious conversion, religious extremism, self harm, sexual assault, sexual violence, slavery, spousal death, stabbing, sterilization, strangulation, suicide/suicidal ideation, terminal illness, undeath, wounds and infectionThings Mentioned: Once Upon a Time in HollywoodThe Dandelion Dynasty by Ken LiuKitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie VaughnA Small Place by Jamaica KinkaidPaladin's Grace by T. KingfisherBlood Over Bright Haven M. L. WangHow Long Until Black Future MonthThe Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. LeGuinThe Ones Who Stay and Fight by N.K. JemisinWhy Don't We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole by Isabel J. KimLocked Tomb Series by Tamsyn MuirAbsolute Wonder WomanAbsolute Martian Manhunter This show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)

We talk about the highs and lows of The Alloy of Law, our first foray into Mistborn Era 2. Next month we'll be reading The Eleventh Metal and H.A.R.R.E, Episode Airs:  May 31stContent warnings for this episode: ableism, addiction, age gap, arranged marriages, betrayal, bleeding, body horror, body modification, broken bones, classism, death, decapitation, discussion of rape, discussion of sexuality, domestic violence, enemies to lovers, eugenic breeding, eugenics, fatphobia, gaslighting, genocide, hallucinations, homophobia, human sacrifice, insanity, maiming, mind control, misogyny, murder, mutation, mutilation, racism, rape, references to Nazis, religious conversion, religious extremism, self harm, sexual assault, sexual violence, slavery, spousal death, stabbing, sterilization, strangulation, suicide/suicidal ideation, terminal illness, undeath, wounds and infectionCorrections: Grant Morrison's pronouns are They/Them, many apologies for misgendering them. Correction 2:  Folks on the autism spectrum are moving away from the term "Asperger's Syndrome" for a multitude of reasons, one of which being the originator of the term was a nazi scientist. Things Mentioned: Grant Morrison's X-MenA Game of ThronesGrant Morrison's The Invisibles (Sympathy for the Henchman)Necropolitics - Achille Mbembe https://muse.jhu.edu/article/39984Society Must be Defended - Michelle Foucault (Biopolitics)Dicipline and Punish - Michel FoucaultRykers Island https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/09/nyregion/kalief-browder-held-at-rikers-island-for-3-years-without-trial-commits-suicide.htmlThis show is created by Graham Gillman, Taylor Lane, and Jack McLaughlan. PatreonDiscordInstagramBookshop Our theme music is "goodnight kiss" by 2mello off the album midnight broadcasts. (https://2mello.net/)