Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel: Final Thoughts

Listeners, they're finally doing it. William and Jacob are following through on their longstanding intention of reading an entire trilogy, front to back, in consecutive episodes and they picked the granddaddy of 'em all, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jacob's a lifelong fan, and it's one of William's majorly glaring blindspots as someone who never read the books, and didn't enjoy the movies (go easy on him, he didn't like any movies the last time he watched them). William isn't sure he's a convert, yet, but Jacob is finding many surprising and joyful revelations in Book One of The Fellowship of the Ring.But first, your hosts recap the Halloween party to end all Halloween parties, the Ocarina of Time remake, and give some quick hits at the movies on the TV.

William and Jacob are heading to prom this week to discuss Stephen King’s Carrie and Mike Flanagan’s wildly ambitious new TV adaptation. Telekinesis, pig’s blood, evil mean girls, religious trauma, and a surprisingly X-Men-esque supernatural conspiracy abound as your hosts compare the horror classic to a show they absolutely loved. But first…William emerges from a month-long Halloween decorating haze and both have some thoughts on the latest American Horror Story.

It's spooky season on DDDpod, as William and Jacob head into the dark ages with Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires. God has turned his back on humanity as the black plague rages across Europe, spurred on by legions of disturbingly gross demons who have taken over every corner of France–a disgraced knight and young girl might be the only thing that can stand in the way of the armies of darkness.But first, William shares brief thoughts on Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang and Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo.NEXT WEEK: Carrie by Stephen King

William and Jacob are back to discuss the conclusion of Emily St. John Mandel’s Exit Party, and despite their love for her beautiful prose, compelling characters, and mind-bending sci-fi, they're left with one burning question: What the hell was the point? Parallel universes, dystopian surveillance states, doppelgängers, and a mysterious painting all come together in a finale that your hosts find surprisingly underwhelming. Is there some profound message they're missing, or is this book just a well-written nothingburger? But first…William hunts for Bigfoot and discovers Seattle’s underground goblin scene, Jacob reviews Verity and a truly dystopian Willy Wonka reality show, and both hosts venture outside their usual sci-fi and fantasy reading.

DDDSpod visits the uncanny near future as they discuss Part 1 ("Side A") of Emily St. John Mandel's newest literary genre tease Exit Party. In 2031, Ari is newly released from prison, emerging into an unfamiliar United States that has been torn apart by a recently-ended civil war. A particularly strange house party celebrating the end of the conflict ends with its host's disappearance, which sets off a narrative that spans decades and continents. The novel is compelling, intriguing and thought-provoing– William and Jacob can't wait to finish it next week.But first, your hosts imagine going on The Traitor's: Normie Edition as secret allies, and wonder what is going on with American Horror Story this season.

William and Jacob are going back to Hell to finish Mackenzie Reed’s I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell, a fast, funny paranormal romance that they had a blast reading, even if its corporate underworld never quite lives up to its diabolical potential. Brie and Luke rescue some kidnapped women, finally get down and dirty, crash a demonic masquerade, uncover Luke’s extremely confusing family history, and discover that the barrier between Earth and Hell is apparently being held together by...you'll have to listen to believe it. But first...William and Jacob review Resident Evil and Practical Magic 2, two Halloweenie movies they loved for two very different reasons. 

William and Jacob are going to hell this week with the first half of Mackenzie Reed’s I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell, a paranormal romance that is somehow exactly as dumb, fun, and delightful as they were craving. Depressed office worker Brie Benson thinks her biggest problem is getting a report faxed on time, until she catches her annoyingly hot boss Luke exorcising a demon in his office and promptly gets dragged into a rescue mission involving missing women, and a surprisingly robust corporate bureaucracy in Hell. Your hosts are completely won over by the fun worldbuilding, likable characters, and the promise that Brie and Luke will eventually stop pretending they don’t want to bang each other. But first…William becomes obsessed with a credit-card-sized e-reader and SeaWorld’s inexplicable romantasy-themed scare zone, Jacob finishes The Gate of the Feral Gods and Practical Magic 2 sends William down a conspiracy-theory rabbit hole about why movies are bad now.

DDDSpod returns to the world of Ana and Din to finish Robert Jackson Bennett’s A Trade of Blood! As bodies pile up across cattle country, our favorite fantasy detectives finally unravel the zombie-fungus murder conspiracy, uncover some deeply disturbing secrets from the ancient Daljen, and learn that sometimes the real villain really is just capitalism (and the meat industry).  But first, they react to the new Harry Potter teaser, check back in on Dungeon Crawler Carl, and formally apologize for their deeply chaotic summer podcasting schedule.

DDDSpod is back with their favorite fantasy detectives Ana and Din as they dive into Parts One and Two of Robert Jackson Bennett’s A Trade of Blood! This time, a star-crossed romance between the heirs of two feuding cattle dynasties ends in a grisly murder—but when the crime scene starts moving, Ana and Din uncover a fungal conspiracy involving mind-controlled humans, creepy monkey-cats, mysterious deaths, and a whole lot of meat. Meanwhile, Din hears voices, reunites with his estranged sister, and meets a hot new plant doctor who may finally give us the queer romance we deserve. But first, William survives the Amazon, Jacob finally succumbs to Dungeon Crawler Carl, and they discuss Camp Miasma, Spider-Man, Furious, and the horrors of vacation bloat.

This week William and Jacob head firmly into deep space as they give a full spoiler review of Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio, the first book in the internet-favorite Sun Eater series. Hadrian Marlowe  The aliens couldn’t be cooler, and the world building is super intriguing. They weren’t so sure about some of the other choices here.But first, they talk about The Odyssey, just like everyone else online is right now. Or maybe that’s just Jacob’s algorithm.Next up: The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams