Share
Team Bugle
Romance in sci-fi // Fantasy // Narnia
Host Alice Fraser, and romance critic Jen Prokop from the Fated Mates podcast (space episode), bring you episode 12 of Realms Unknown: your one-stop show for genre fiction tropes, news and recommendations!
Please take our listener survey so we can do even better: http://bit.ly/realmsunknown-survey
- All episodes are available in your podcast feed and on our YouTube channel
- Support Realms Unknown by becoming a Team Bugle subscriber thebuglepodcast.com/donate
- You can support your local bookshop by buying the books mentioned in the show in our Bookshop affiliate store
- Explore the list of all books, games, films and TV series below.
Episode 12
In this week's news, rumours abound that Meryl Streep could be cast as Aslan in Greta Gerwig's forthcoming Narnia films, and Alice and Jen discuss Simon & Schuster's rebrand and 'Simon Maverick' audiobook imprint.
Jen has recently been enjoying mafia romance such as The Kings of Italy series by Mila Finelli and the Perfectly Imperfect series by Neva Altaj.
Alice's trope on a rope for this week is people being granted immortality and being pissed about it, while Jen takes issue with fake dating.
In Mines of Urgh, Alice has a problem with her beloved The Dragonriders of Pern and then Jen sees how the heteronormative style of books of a past era, such as Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward show us how far gender and sex have come in recent years.
For all of the books mentioned in the romance in sci -fi sub genre deep dive this week, please see the lists below!
What have you been into?
The Kings of Italy series - Mila Finelli
Perfectly Imperfect series - Neva Altaj
These Summer Storms - Sarah MacLean
Romance in sci-fi
Shards of Honor / Barrayar / A Civil Campaign - Lois McMaster Bujold
Fiasco - Constance Fay (read Jen's article here)
Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir
The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
This is How You Lose the Time War - Max Gladstone
The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson
Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell
Ringworld - Larry Niven
Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
The Kushiel’s series - Jacqueline Carey
Aurora Blazing - Jessie Mihalik
🔔 Subscribe, like, and comment!
Produced by Chris Skinner and Ped Hunter. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Jen Prokop.
📧 Got questions, feedback, or suggestions? Email us at realmsunknown@thebuglepodcast.com
🌐 Visit thebuglepodcast.com to support us and find more!
More episodes
View all episodes
546. Question Mark?
09:33||Season 1, Ep. 546Welcome to Top Stories, where we bring you the biggest news in the world years after it first happened. We’re going back to 22nd of August 2011, where John and Andy, struggling to pick one, delved into the Top Stories of that week, the US election, Idaho Butter recipes, and the ongoing developments in the future of Syria. If you enjoyed that why not pop over to the mothership and listen to the last Bugle podcast. It’s like Top Stories, but longer and newer!55. Iconic Puppets in Sci-Fi & Fantasy
28:28||Season 1, Ep. 55Joining Alice this week is Eleanor Morton, as the pair jump into this week’s sub-genre deep dive, Puppets in Sci-Fi and Fantasy. From Jim Henson’s fantasy efforts, to Ridley Scott's Xenomorph in Alien.🖊️ Links to all things Eleanor Morton: https://eleanormortoncomedian.com/📕 'A Passion For Passion' is back on sale! https://www.thebuglepodcast.com/store/p/a-passion-for-passion-a-delirious-love-letter-to-romance❤️🔥 Buy 'A Passion For Passion' audiobook https://www.thebuglepodcast.com/news/we-are-18-t6flf-5n9mc💰 Support Realms Unknown by becoming a Team Bugle subscriber https://thebuglepodcast.com/donate📯 Subscribe to The Bugle YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@BuglePodcastUnheard and Too Hot To Handle!
36:29||Season 6Bonus episode time Buglers! While Andy, take a well deserved rest from bringing you the latest slurry of frankly idiotic news. Producer Harry has rounded up a few clips from the start of 2026, that didn’t make it in the first time round, we’ve also got a clip from our voluntary subscription only show Ask Andy and a Top Story from The Bugle’s, Science and Tech pull out The Gargle, so sit back, get comfortable and enjoy. It's Bugle episode 4373A! We’ll be back next week with Nato Green and Alice Fraser. If you like The Bugle ad-free and uninterrupted. Then why not join The Bugle’s voluntary subscription, your support I and my cohort of co-hosts will continue to blast our trademark mix of satirical insight and shameless drivel all over the planet.🎧 Support The Bugle! Become a Team Bugle subscriber for bonus episodes, exclusive video editions, and the righteous satisfaction of funding satire:http://thebuglepodcast.com📺 Watch Realms Unknown on YouTubeProduced by Chris Skinner, Laura Turner and Harry Gordon.545. Freedom!
07:06||Season 1, Ep. 545Welcome back to Top Stories. We jump back to issue number 82, as Andy and John discuss Freedom, Free Speech and the modern surveillance of the western world! If you wanna hear more and up to date all be it not exactly new news. Then why not listen at thebuglepodcast.com544. Fox News Lied?!
09:41||Season 1, Ep. 544Welcome back to Top Stories. This week we go back to the 6th of March 2023, where Andy was joined by Nato Green and Josie Long as they discussed Fox News getting themselves into hot water for misreporting the 2020 presidential election, doesn’t sound like them does it and did The Bugle have something to do with it?If you wanna hear more and up to date all be it not exactly new news. Then why not listen at thebuglepodcast.com198. The Fall of the Metaverse and the Rise of the Run-fluencer
31:00||Season 1, Ep. 198On this week's Gargle, the glossy magazine pull out to The Bugle’s audio newspaper, Alice opens it with Tiff Stevenson and John Robertson, as the trio breakdown the week's news in science and tech, from the fall of the Metaverse, the wellness peptides craze and the rise of the Run-fluencers! Alice Fraser: https://www.patreon.com/AliceFraserTiff Stevenson: https://tiffstevenson.co.uk/ John Robertson: https://www.thejohnrobertson.com/ Subscribe to Realms Unknown - a fantasy, sci-fi and speculative fiction podcast from Alice Fraser and The Bugle!https://www.thebuglepodcast.com/news/realms-unknownYou fund what we do!https://www.thebuglepodcast.com/donateProduced by Harry Gordon, with Executive production from Chris Skinner
4373. Trump needs a better jokes writer!
47:58||Season 6, Ep. 4373On issue number 4373 of the Bugle, Andy is joined by Nish Kumar and Tom Ballard, as the they update on the Iran war, discuss Trump's joke writing skills, and delve into the latest controversy with the UK's Trump wannabe Nigel Farage!🇮🇷 Iran War Update: Andy, Nish and Tom give an update on the latest on the Iran conflict. 🇺🇸 Trump's War Gag: The trio discuss the US president's Pearl Harbour joke to the Japanese Prime Minister. 📱 Nigel Farage on Cameo: Andy, Nish and Tom discuss the latest news surrounding Nigel Farage and his antics on paid celebrity video sharing app Cameo! Andy's Links: andyzaltzman.co.ukNish Kumar's Links: https://www.nishkumar.co.uk/Tom Ballard's Links: https://tomballard.com.au/🎧 Support The Bugle! Become a Team Bugle subscriber for bonus episodes, exclusive video editions, and the righteous satisfaction of funding satire:http://thebuglepodcast.com📺 Watch Realms Unknown on YouTubeProduced by Chris Skinner, Laura Turner and Harry Gordon.543. EVEN more on Brexit!
04:26||Season 1, Ep. 543We’re back to the year 2017, and live (back then) from London, Andy was joined by Nish Kumar and Tom Ballard. Breaking down the Top Story, of immigration and Brexit! Enjoy that? Subscribe to the Bugle now through our voluntary donation scheme at the bugle podcast dot com542. Finland is just too happy!
09:25||Season 1, Ep. 542We’ve plucked issue 4257 out of the archive, to unravel the Top Story back in 24th of March, 2023, Andy is joined with Tiff Stevenson, and Josh Gondleman. The story in question Finland is too happy as they top the charts for a 6th year in a row! There you go, what a show it was. Now please help us stay alive by donating at thebuglepodcast.com