Fantasy for the Ages

What are the best self-published fantasy and science fiction novels of the last decade-plus? From The Martian and Wool to The Sword of Kaigen and Waybound, indie authors have proven they can go toe-t…

Mira Grant’s Newsflesh Trilogy is one of the most brilliant zombie apocalypse series ever written… but what about Feedback (2016), the so-called “Book 4”? In this spoiler-lite review, Jim (flying sol…

Some opening lines stay with you forever. From the mysterious, the chilling, and the downright legendary, these first words transport us into other worlds and unforgettable stories. In this episode, …

Bauchelain and Korbal Broach are back—and things are as dark, grotesque, and hilarious as ever. In this episode, I review The Second Collected Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach by Steven Erikson,…

💔 Some characters die. Others take a piece of us with them.

In this gut-punch of an episode, Jim and Zach dig deep into the most devastating deaths in fantasy fiction—the ones that made us cry, rage, …

Not all “classics” are created equal. Some science fiction novels are hailed as visionary, genius, and even essential by critics… while regular readers toss them across the room in frustration.

In thi…

Some fantasy novels win awards, earn glowing reviews, and get called “masterpieces” by critics… but when actual fans picked them up? They cried, “Boring!” “Pretentious!” and “I want my weekend back!”

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🗿 Only FOUR can be carved in stone. Who gets eternal glory… and who gets left in the rubble?

In this episode of Fantasy for the Ages, Jim and Zach face one of the most impossible challenges in fantasy…

🍩🧟‍♂️ Wrestling rings, cooking contests, pothead antics, and… zombies? That’s the insane mash-up at the heart of Stephen Graham Jones’ Zombie Bake-Off (2012), a fast, funny, and gloriously absurd tak…

The 2020s have already delivered some unforgettable horror. From the pandemic years through 2025, every year has given us stories that terrified, thrilled, and captured readers’ imaginations. In this…

The 2010s brought horror roaring back into the mainstream. From breakout bestsellers to bold new voices, the decade proved that the genre wasn’t just alive—it was thriving. In this episode, we’re rev…

The 2000s were a turning point for horror. Gone were the days of endless paperback racks at the drugstore—instead, horror was evolving, experimenting, and mixing with thrillers, fantasy, and even pos…

The 1990s were a strange time for horror. After the explosive boom of the ’80s, the genre shifted, experimented, and evolved—sometimes darker, sometimes subtler, and sometimes downright unexpected. I…

The 1980s weren’t just neon lights and big hair—they were also a golden age for horror fiction. In this episode of our series, we’re counting down the three best horror novels of the 1980s, ranked no…

The 1970s weren’t just polyester suits and disco balls—this was the decade when horror exploded onto the bestseller lists and refused to let go. In this episode of our series, we’re counting down the…

This kicks off a viewer-requested series to discover the definitive list of best horror novels from each year—ranked by the numbers, not opinion. In this episode, we count down the top three horror n…

Some heroes are great on their own… but when they’re paired up? Legendary.

In this episode, Jim and Zach go head-to-head (in the friendliest way possible) to debate and rank the Top 10 duos in fantasy…

What if a slasher film wasn’t something you watched… but something you read? Stephen Graham Jones’ Demon Theory isn’t just a horror novel—it’s a cinematic experience, written as a literary film treat…

Think you’ve read all the best fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels? Think again. In this episode, I’m counting down 30 spectacular but little-known books published since 1970—hidden gems you …