And as I fixed upon the down-turned face That pointed scrutiny with which we challenge The first-met stranger in the waning dusk I caught the sudden look of some dead master... Dalemark conspiracy theories, double selves, and conversations with the past: a look back at DWJ in the seventies. Transcript available here. We're going on hiatus for a few…

"The story is largely self explanatory, but certain obscurities in the text have been amended to avoid confusing the reader." The power of the land, the return of the king, and the magic of finding meaning in a text. Transcript available here. Spellcoats was the last book of the season, so no reading for next week, but next week we'll be recording …

"Mitt was not sure he knew what a free soul was – it never occurred to him that his mother had no idea either – but he thought it was a splendid thing to be." Revolution, righteous anger, gods and prophecy and the most common name in Holand. Transcript available here. Next week we'll be finishing out our first season with Spellcoats!…

"God bless her dear little sugar-coated shining soul." The English class system, American science fiction, and the Problem of Gwendolen. [please again pardon our audio this week as we dealt with travel and microphone issues] Transcript available here, and week we'll be doing Drowned Ammet!By Rebecca Fraimow and Emily Tesh

"'But why should a few people suffer a lot,' he said, 'so that a lot of people shouldn't suffer at all?'" Thwarted tragedy, the useful myth of Christianity, and sad teen trios that transcend racism. Transcript available here, and next week we'll be doing Charmed Life!By Rebecca Fraimow and Emily Tesh

"I sing for Osfameron, I move in more than one world." The power of art, the divided self, and Walemark. Transcript available here. Next week will be a mid-season break, but we'll be back in two weeks with Power of Three!By Rebecca Fraimow and Emily Tesh

"Soon only Sirius was scratching and tearing at the dark, and he only kept on because he had a dim notion that anything was better than cold nothingness." Politics, parenting, sex and death. [NB: We had a special very small guest on this one, so if you hear the occasional kick or wail against the infinite difficulty of being alive, just remember: i…

'He could only think of one solution: "Should have been me to hit you, I suppose. I will if you like."' Revenge, violence, and several attempted murders [yakety sax]. (tw: it's a DWJ but this one has more than the usual amount of discussion of child abuse) Transcript available here. Next week we will be discussing Dogsbody! Also, there were some te…

"Wouldn't you say it was worth it to be really happy for a while, even if you knew you were going to end up sad ever after? Loki, Brunhilde, and the archetypal Diana Wynne Jones Cricket Boy. (Transcript available here.)By Rebecca Fraimow and Emily Tesh