Tar Valon Or Bust

In which Jenn and Preeti "to and fro" from one thought to the next about Disney's 'The Sword in the Stone' and T.H. White's novel of the same name, and Jenn has her mind blown by the novel's publication history. Next episode, early September 2026: The Last Enchantment, Book 1: Dunpeldyr, Sections 1-3Get more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.orgGet merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.comPreorder Preeti's new book, HE'S JUST SOME GUY -- out in January 2027!

In which Jenn and Preeti talk about martyr complexes vs. sidekick syndrome, Mary Stewart: Action Writer, how epic this last section is, and one hell of an Author's Note.For those reading the ebook version, which doesn't have the Author's Note, we've got a PDF for you complete with Preeti's chicken scratch notation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xSJUeKDqdxwoFijBlCk0UQE6SN6Lv-aX/view?usp=share_link (Copyright holders, please don't sue us! It's just too good not to share!!)Daniel José Older, Half-Resurrection BluesThe Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, Ursula K Le Guin (either stand-alone or in Dancing at the Edge of World)Castiel (June)House of Harkness (July) DragonCon (September)He's Just Some Guy (January 2027) - preorder now!Next episode: Disney's The Sword in the Stone (with a side of T.H. White's Once and Future King)Get more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.org

In which Merlin realizes how bad he is at people, two times over, and we talk about pivotal moments in Arthurian lore, three generations of unacknowledged royal boys, and .... apples?Castiel (June)House of Harkness (July) DragonCon (September)Next episode: The King: Sections 6 - 11 inclusiveGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.org

In which Merlin is bad at people in several ways, we love Cador of Cornwall, and the atmospheric writing is off the chain.Castiel (June)House of Harkness (July) DragonCon (September)Next episode: The King: Sections 1 - 5 inclusiveGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.org

In which there are several big discussions about Herms, class and its impact on publishing, anachronisms in historical fiction, and then the actual section -- which is very funny AND very foreboding all at once.Castiel (June)House of Harkness (July) DragonCon (September)Next episode: The Sword: Sections 5 - 9 inclusiveGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.orgGet merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com

In which Preeti talks about ghosts, Jenn talks about layers, and they both cannot even with Stewart's linguistic stylings.In Your Spare Time - Ursula K. LeGuin, https://inyoursparetime.libsyn.com/Castiel (June)House of Harkness (July) DragonCon (September)Next episode: The Sword: Sections 1-4 inclusiveGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.orgGet merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com

In which this very short section gives Jenn and Preeti so many feelings, especially about high fantasy and how Stewart does (and doesn't) write it. And horses!CASSIEL’S SERVANT by Jacqueline CareyNext episode: The Search: Sections 9-11 inclusiveGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.orgGet merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com

In which Jenn and Preeti love this new, fancy-free Merlin, at least until things get EXTREMELY uncomfortable with Morgause.Next episode: The Search: Sections 6-8 inclusiveGet more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.orgGet merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com

In between all the descriptions of trees and Arthur lustily wailing, there's some really interesting stuff -- song callbacks, Merlin's "gap year", Mary Stewart's version of known characters ... and then some real weird descriptions of women.Next episode: The Hollow Hills, Book 2: The Search, Sections 1 - 5Get more of Brett Parnell's music at bearinabarnnyc.comMore from Heeral Chhibber at heeral.orgGet merch: tar-valon-or-bust.printify.me/products and northingtron.redbubble.com