The Mary Sue Squad: A Pop Culture Podcast

Can three simple girls enjoy a boys book for boys? Today we find out with Dungeon Crawler Carl, a book written perhaps without our exact target demographic in mind (crude humor, a very manly protagonist, and lots and LOTS of violence definitely included). Will we love our dear Carl, who fights to survive in an alien-made dungeon crawl designed to kill him, or will we politely pass? Find out on this episode!

The end of one year and the beginning of the next can be a cold and dreary time--which is why we got together to discuss the things that are making us happy! Recorded in the fall, we discuss spooky favorites, upcoming releases we are excited for, and games, books, and shows that are still keeping us thinking into the new year.

A rat tail is always a red flag, ladies. Or is it? This week we discuss The Cruel Prince. We talk the religion of faerie and its influence on fantasy novels past and present, and if the soggy fishsticks of the human world (not a euphemism) are preferable to a life of beautiful danger in the fairy realm.

The games are hungrier than ever before as we jump into the backstory we never knew we needed: Haymitch. We discuss the power of propaganda and the disempowering of collective action. We do not discuss whether Woody Harrelson did the movies so he could act out his dream role as a man with hair.

A loveless marriage, a disillusioned child, and a disastrous war story, oh my! The Sword of Kaigen is a highly rated self-published book that begs us to venture into territory heretofore unexplored on the pod: into the wild, wild world of epic fantasy. Will we survive our foray into the passages of long exposition, or will we be defeated by the descriptions of unnecessary backstory? Whatever happens, our girl Misaki will be there to guide us through her story of heartbreak, tragedy, and empowerment as we discuss The Sword of Kaigen.

It's the 20th anniversary of the 2005 movie adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice! In honor of the occasion, we watched the movie and compared it to its popular cousin, the BBC's 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries. What did each adaptation bring to the table? Why do we love the immaculate vibes of the 2005, and which Mr. Darcy is the definitive Mr. Darcy? Join us to find out!

A classic Homeric poem turned love story, The Song of Achilles will have you sighing, groaning, and maybe even weeping for our two star-crossed lovebirds. But the real question is . . . on a scale of Feyre to Bella Swan, how passive a protagonist is Patroclus? Join us to find out!

Funny Story may not make you laugh but it will have you asking a lot of big questions, like is sex in a shared eating space okay if it's with your roommate? Is Michigan an actual beach vacation destination? Or, are they still a 10 if they moan when they eat? We get into it with Emily Henry's Funny Story.

When a two besties turned coding geniuses decide to program their next game together, they can't dream of where their efforts would take them . . . just like we couldn't dream of where our thoughts were going to land with Gabrielle Zevin's book, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. Did we enjoy the books (as gamers (TM))? Did we sympathize with Sadie or Sam more? Tune in to find out.

Video games are getting more and more mainstream as people find their favorite niches, and in preparation of our read of Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, we gather 'round to chat about video games and our experience with them! Join us for an informal discussion that ranges from our shared love and thoughts about Zelda to the troubles of other people judging you for video games and being a woman to mmorpgs, video game romances, and anything else we can think of.