Podcasts by The Boiled Leather Audio Hour

The Boiled Leather Audio Hour

Podcasts at least twice a month. Support us on Patreon!

Further podcasts by Sean T. Collins & Stefan Sasse

Podcast on the topic Bücher

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The Boiled Leather Audio Hour
BLAH 185 | Napoleon, way too short and way too long, with Steven Attewell from 2023-12-03T20:44:37

Ridley Scott’s new epic“Napoleon” sure is divisive and polarizing. It takes two historians to get the definitive judgement on the movie, and it’s greatly helped that we a...

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BLAH 184 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Democratization, with Jim McGeehin from 2023-11-13T15:48:34

BLAH 184 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Democratization, with Jim McGeehin

With Zero Hour dealt with, we’re looking at how the Western Allies laid the foundations for the democ...

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BLAH 183 | Javi interviews Stefan, with Javi Marcos from 2023-11-02T18:42:20

In a crossover with Javi Marcos, you’re getting an episode in which he interviews me.

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BLAH 182 | A Tale of Two Germanies - Zero Hour, with Jim McGeehin from 2023-09-24T17:22:21

Jim and I started a new subseries in our ongoing coverage of German history. This time, we will cover the divided Germany after World War II up until reunification. In our first installment, we ...

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BLAC 48 | Barbie (the Movie) from 2023-09-09T18:20:47

In a surprise twist, we make a BLAC episode available for everyone! Enjoy, and if you do, pledge at the Conversationalist level and get access to 47 other episodes and everything that will come ...

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BLAH 181 | Designing board games, with Bryan Kromrey from 2023-09-08T22:44:24

With board game designer Bryan Kromrey, I talk about the adaptation of the famous RTS“Company of Heroes”, how the modern Kickstarter economy works and how his process for a second ed...

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BLAH 180 | Best of ASOAIF - The Hound’s Origin Speech, with Sean T. Collins from 2023-08-05T18:19:36

Origin stories are a Hollywood trope. Oftentimes, they’re rote and uninteresting, but if done right, they can recontextualize and enrich characters you never thought would rise above mid-level a...

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BLAH 179 | Kaiserreich - War, 1918, with Jim McGeehin from 2023-06-30T14:38:23

Finally, we’re in the home stretch. From the peace of Brest-Litovsk to the Kaiserschlacht offensive to the breakdown of the Central Powers and the winding down of the war in the fall, we&r...

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BLAH 178 | The best of ASOIAF - Bran’s Dream, with Sean T. Collins from 2023-06-22T08:08:22

In the next installment of our ongoing series, we talk about Bran’s Dream from AGOT, Bran III. It’s a testament to Martin’s abilities as a gardener as well as to our ability to...

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BLAM 177 | Kaiserreich: War 1917, with Jim McGeehin from 2023-05-21T15:56:47

We continue into the year 1917! This time, our focus is not on tactics, strategy, weapons and stuff but on the epochal events of the Russian Revolution and the American entry into the war.

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BLAM 176 | Kaiserreich - War 1916, with Jim McGeehin from 2023-04-27T16:28:22

We’re continuing the story of World War I with the year 1916. The battles of Verdun and the Somme are the most famous, and we’re giving them the space they deserve, but the Romanian campai...

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BLAH 175 | The best of ASOIAF - Septon Meribald’s monologue, with Sean T. Collins from 2023-04-19T16:34:19

It was only a question of time until we hit one of the most profound and meaningful pieces of text in the whole ASOIAF corpus, but we did it! Sean and I talk Septon Meribald’s“broken...

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BLAH 174 | Who is the Knight of the Laughing Tree? from 2023-03-27T23:42:39

This is special episode. I have been challenged by Kienn Joiaf to defend my assertion that Lyanna Stark is the Knight of the Laughing Tree and to disprove their theory that in truth it is Eddard...

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BLAH 173 | Kaiserreich - War 1915, with Jim McGeehin from 2023-03-10T17:18:30

We’re continuing the story of World War I with the year 1915. From the massive loss of human lives in the big offensives, the Western stalemate and the breakthrough in the East, to technol...

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BLAH 172 | Kaiserreich - War 1914, with Jim McGeehin from 2023-03-04T17:16:49

We are finally here: World War I has broken out, and now it’s off to the military history. But not so fast! Before you think we’re down to discussing which caliber of gun is superior...

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BLAH 170 | Back to the sources, with Mattea Barbagallo from 2022-12-22T22:29:59

Greek myths and medieval novels provide a rich tapestry of themes and inspiration that inspire literature for centuries now. Reason enough for us here at the Boiled Leather Audio Hour to go to t...

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BLAH 171 | Lightning doesn’t strike twice, with Sean T. Collins from 2022-12-22T20:14:22

Sean and I are on record being huge fans of the German series“Dark”. Their creators now published their follow-up work,“1899”, streaming on Netflix. However, lighting doe...

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BLAH 168 | All Quiet on Netflix, with Peter Doyle from 2022-12-09T20:12:15

I reviewed Netflix’ adaptation of“All Quiet on the Western Front” for the Patreon already, but now I want to do an in-depth-look with an expert and see whether my criticisms ho...

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BLAH 169 | Andor, Episode 12, with Sean T. Collins from 2022-11-29T19:33:45

CAUTION: The original upload contained episode 167 with Andor ep 11 again. This should be correct now.

The finale is out! We get a funeral, a rom-com between two fascists, a prison break, ...

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BLAH 167 | Andor, episode 11, with Sean T. Collins from 2022-11-22T23:53:31

What is this? A review of Andor? Isn’t this supposed to be exclusive to the Boiled Leather Audio Moment? Yes, of course. But christmas is coming early! We’re publishing the last two ...

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BLAH 166 | Kaiserreich, July, with Jim McGeehin from 2022-11-18T14:38:25

It’s been a long time since episode 151, but after the gruelling regime of covering three shows (HotD, LOTRTROP and Andor) simultaneously for weeks on end, we need to get back to our regu...

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BLAH 149 | Kaiserreich, Episode 6: Colonialism, with Jim McGeehin from 2022-04-19T10:38:24

Bismarck famously refused to engage in colonialism, only to do an about-face in the 1880s to create the third-largest colonial empire of the world. It didn’t do much good. A drain financia...

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BLAH 148 | Kaiserreich, Episode 5: Balancing, with Jim McGeehin from 2022-03-07T15:52:44

Bismarck felt, in the colloquial French of the times, the“cauchemar des coalitions”, the nightmare of coalitions. He wanted to keep the peace, but a peace on his terms. Was this ever...

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BLAH 147 | The Wheel of Time, with Sean T. Collins from 2022-02-12T15:56:22

The little known fantasy saga“The Wheel of Time” was picked up by niche channel Amazon Prime and made into a small-budget show of *checks notes* 80 million dollars, which is small co...

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BLAH 146 | The Expanse, with Tim Westmyer from 2022-01-28T17:26:20

The famous science-fiction epic by James S. A. Corey is now finished, with the ninth and final novel having been published in late 2021. Time to take stock and talk about this series. Is it any ...

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BLAH 145 | Kaiserreich, episode 4: Kulturkampf, with Jim McGeehin from 2022-01-17T14:08:23

In the latest episode of our Kaiserreich series, we talk about the three great domestic fights that the ruling conservatives fought in the Kaiserreich: political catholicism (the titular Kulturk...

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BLAH 144 | Happy Birthday to us from 2021-12-15T22:33:10

The Boiled Leather Audio Hour is 10 years old! Congratulating yourselves isn’t a courteous thing to do, we know. But on a podcast, there’s little choice in how to do this, since we h...

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BLAH 143 | Kaiserreich, Episode 3: Constitution from 2021-12-03T15:20:22

After waging the Wars of Unification last time, Jim and I now brace a battlefield on an entirely different sort: the smoke-filled backrooms of parliaments. We are following the creation of the G...

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BLAH 142 | The Fremen Mirage, the myth of the Chosen One and military strategy in the Dune universe, with Bret Deveraux from 2021-11-19T20:20:23

After talking about Dune in our Conversationalist-exclusive episode with Sean T. Collins, I’m returning once more to the rolling sands of Arrakis to take a deeper look at the material. Aft...

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Is it possible to find the previous episodes on the Weimer republic, any one before episode 118? from 2021-11-15T22:14:55

Yes. I posted a complete archive on the Patreon, which you can find here:https://drive.google.com/d...

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BLAH 141 | A heap of toxic nerddom, with DancingSean from 2021-11-08T21:52:19

There are quite a lot stories about superheroes gone bad on offer right now. Amazon Prime alone offers two currently: Invincible, which is a pretty good cartoon series bogged down by some issues...

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BLAH 140 | Kaiserreich, Episode 2: War, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-10-28T08:54:56

In our second episode of the Kaiserreich series, we’re wading through blood and iron as the new nation state is formed in a series of unification wars.

Follow us through Denmark, Boh...

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BLAH 139 | Do Fantasy and SciFi stick at the wall?, with Aziz from 2021-10-05T16:18:25

Together with Aziz from History of Westeros I talk about the  smattering of Fantasy and SciFi shows coming out in the final quarter of  2021.  Foundation, Wheel of Time, The Witcher season 2, Th...

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BLAH 138 | Kaiserreich, Episode 1: Federation, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-09-12T00:00:44

We are starting a new series on the history of the Kaiserreich! But before we can actually go into the history of German unification, we need to find out what the German Question is and why it t...

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BLAH 137 | The US presidents, part 4, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-08-22T00:01:20

In the fourth and final part of our trilogy on the US presidents since FDR (don’t ask), Jim and I talk about presidential mythology and cults. From the New Deal to JFK, from“Morning ...

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BLAH 136 | Forget the numbers, with Marcus A. Roberts and Frank Spring from 2021-07-26T00:00:40

Ten episodes ago, I gathered political operatives and consultants Marcus A. Roberts and Frank Spring and talked about the narratives of politics. Today, we continue in this vein, looking at...

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BLAH 135 | The US presidents, part 3, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-07-12T00:00:43

In this epic final (?) instalment of our series on the American presidents, Jim and I end the Cold War with an assessment of George H. W. Bush, move over to the presidency of Bill Clinton and th...

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BLAH 134 | Battlefields of bits and bytes - the history of the RTS genre, with Bret Deveraux from 2021-07-03T00:00:51

In 1992, Westwood Studios created“Dune 2”, the first real time strategy game ever, spawning one of the most succesful genres ever. With“Command and Conquer” in 1995, they...

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BLAH 133 | Telepathy, portals, necromancy and other magic from 2021-06-16T00:00:31

After we explored the role that magical creatures play in ASOIAF in episode 131, it’s time to look at other fantastical elements. From magical portals to telepathy, from blood sacrifice to Assha...

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BLAH 132 | The US presidents, part II, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-05-24T00:01:12

After covering FDR to LBJ in our first episode, this two-parter now comes to a close with our in-depth look at the remaining presidencies. It’s a juicy episode of almost 2 hours, so we cov...

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BLAH 131 | Grumkins, Snarks and other monsters, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-05-12T00:01:02

Do Snarks and Grumkins exist? Do Squishers? If they did, what would it mean? And what have the Brothers Grimm to do with it? Are direwolves monsters or animals? What’s the deal with the Ot...

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BLAH 131 | Grumpkins, Snarks and other monsters, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-05-12T00:01:02

Do Snarks and Grumpkins exist? Do Squishers? If they did, what would it mean? And what have the Brothers Grimm to do with it? Are direwolves monsters or animals? What’s the deal with the Oth...

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BLAH 130 | The Westeros Cinematic Universe from 2021-04-25T00:00:45

It has been a wild week. After all that casting news of “House of the Dragon”, the new bid-budget HBO show on the Dance of the Dragons, we not only got news about a Broadway theatrical play ab...

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BLAH 129 | Not A Ranking of the US Presidents, part 1, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-04-13T00:00:55

We take a break from German history to do some American history! Since it’s silly to do rankings of the American presidents, we are opting for a chronological approach. But we’re still grading the...

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BLAH 128 | A neophyte’s guide to Twin Peaks, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-03-22T00:01:03

It’s weird (and that’s a word you’ll hear a lot in this podcast), but it took me until the time between years to finally watch Twin Peaks. And the one question I have since then is captured best i...

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FIXED AUDIO! | BLAH 127 | The New Golden Age of Television, Part 2 (with Sean T. Collins & Gretchen Felker-Martin) from 2021-03-20T22:03:17

Sean and Gretchen reunite for a second two-hour deep dive into television’s storied recent past! This time, the Original Bad Boy and the Filthcore Queen tackle shows they didn’t touch on before or...

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BLAH 126 | Tell your story, politics edition, with Marcus A. Roberts and Frank Spring from 2021-03-10T00:00:35

We’re talking about storytelling a lot here on the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, and on occasion, we analyzed how the Westerosi politicans are using story to drive their own machinations - or how sto...

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BLAH 125 | The Weimar Republic - Lessons, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-02-28T06:00:58

We return to Weimar history one more time in order to draw lessons. What can we actually learn from its collapse? What ways were there to prevent it? Join the discussion, and please tell us where ...

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BLAH 124 | The New Golden Age of Television (by Sean T. Collins & Gretchen Felker-Martin) from 2021-02-19T06:00:29

It’s  a Boiled Leather Audio Hour first! Sean’s flying solo in the captain’s  chair for this episode, but he’s not alone—returning guest Gretchen Felker-Martin is here to talk about the New Golden...

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BLAH 123 | The Weimar Republic - Collapse, with Jim McGeehin from 2021-02-07T06:00:31

It’s the last episode of the series, as we go through the presidential cabinets of Franz von Papen, Kurt von Schleicher and one Adolf Hitler. With the Reichstag burning and democracy left in...

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BLAH 105 | The sample chapters: Arianne I, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

We delve into Arianne I, the next on our list of sample chapters. It’s “A Game of Forebodings”, a chapter choke-full of predictions, prophecies, foreboding and foreshadowing. And...

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BLAH 104 | The Iron Bank and Communist Revolution in Westeros, with Steven Attewell from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

One of our beloved Patreons, going by the awe-inspiring alias of ABCD1234 (sorry, I can’t let a name like that stand without at least some sniping ;)) asked me a question about the financing...

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BLAH 103 | So say we all, with Bret Devereaux from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

It’s been some time since the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, one of the most important TV series of our time, ended its four-season-run. Time enough to invite back Bret Devereaux, with whom I di...

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BLAH 102 | The sample chapters: Alayne I, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

Welcome back on our regular circuit, where we talk about all the published sample chapters! This time, we tackle Sansa’s first TWOW chapter, Alayne I. Tackling gives you the right idea, since it’s...

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BLAH 101 | The Laws of Ice and Fire, part 2, with Clint Woods from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

It’s the time of second parters! After I came back to the long promised second episode about the Elections of Ice and Fire with Marcus A. Roberts, it was time to revisit the legal system of ...

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BLAH 100 | The Big Themes and the Big Picture, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

It’s our big day. Since 2011, we published 100 episodes proper of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, aside from 38 Boiled Leather Audio Moments, 11 Boiled Leather Audio Conversations and 25 Boil...

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BLAH 99 | Rise of Mediocrity, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

With the final movie of the sequel trilogy now out in theaters, Sean and I take a deep dive into “Rise of Skywalker”. It’s not really a spoiler to say we weren’t impressed,...

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BLAH 98 | Elections of Ice and Fire, part 2: Great Councils, Triarchies and messiahs from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393

After we talked about the Night’s Watch, the Faith and the Citadel and their voting mechanisms in the last episode, we’re finally back to tackle other, even tornier election issues. Ho...

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BLAH 122 | Teachers of Ice and Fire, part 3, with Sean T. Collins from 2021-01-24T06:00:26

In this episode, we close off our series on the Teachers of Ice and Fire by having a closer look at Bran Stark. He is taught a little bit by his stern father before he takes off to King’s La...

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BLAH 121 | The Weimar Republic - Depression, with Jim McGeehin from 2020-12-20T06:00:27

We’re back, and it’s the penultimate episode of our history of Weimar Germany. We cover the years 1928-1931, as the last democratic government forms just before the Great Depression st...

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BLAH 120 | Teachers of Ice and Fire, part 2 - Ice and Fire, with Sean T. Collins from 2020-11-25T06:01:23

I won’t tell you whose teachers we’re talking about this episode, but at one point it’s a valuable comparison to ask ourselves what Obama could have learned from Avon and Stringe...

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BLAH 119 | The Weimar Republic - Society, with Jim McGeehin from 2020-10-27T05:00:43

We’re continuing our series, talking today about societal changes in Weimar. It’s a period caught between inertia and progress, pulled in different directions and inadequately equipped...

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BLAH 118 | The Weimar Republic - Stabilization, with Jim McGeehin from 2020-10-16T06:01:02

In this installment of our ongoing series on the Weimar Republic, Jim and I tackle the stabilization period between 1924 and 1928. We look at how a precarious balance establishes itself, why this ...

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BLAH 117 | The Teachers of Ice and Fire I - The Stark Sisters from 2020-10-03T06:00:45

Teachers! Who likes them? Oftentimes, the influence of our tutors is overlooked and underappreciated. Not on this podcast, though! We’re taking a look at the different teachers that Sansa an...

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BLAH 116 | The Weimar Republic - Crisis, with Jim McGeehin from 2020-09-15T06:00:51

We continue our journey through the history of Weimar Germany with a look at how democracies actually weather crises. In this case, the triple crisis of 1923 provides the blueprint. Why did the Re...

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BLAH 115 | The sample chapters: Aeron I, with Sean T. Collins from 2020-08-31T06:00:33

In the final episode in our series on the sample chapters, Sean and I tackle the much-hyped “The Forsaken”, Aeron Greyjoy’s first chapter of “The Winds of Winter”. No...

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BLAH 114 | Swords, sworn and forsaken from 2020-08-19T06:00:27

I’m taken to school! To law school. Clint and Merry from the Learned Hands podcast join me to talk about the Sworn Sword. Why are we discussing the middle novella of the Hedge Knight trilogy? Reas...

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BLAH 113 | The Weimar Republic - Fever, with Jim McGeehin from 2020-07-28T06:01:50

We continue the talk about the Weimar Republic with the feverish combination of inflation fuelled economic growth, coups, counter-coups, the Versailles treaty and a lot of constitutional analysis!...

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BLAH 112 | The sample chapters: Victarion I, with Sean T. Collins from 2020-07-14T06:01:36

It’s time to watch a Coen Brothers movie. Strap in, imagine George Clooney in viking armor, and let’s delve into TWOW, Victarion I. , Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon....

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BLAH 111 | The Weimar Republic - Revolution, with Jim McGeehin from 2020-06-25T08:01:32

In a dazzling new series, Jim McGeehin (of Wars of Ice and Fire fame) and I tackle the history of the Weimar Republic. In this issue, we talk about the end of World War I and the revolution that e...

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BLAH 110 | The sample chapters: Tyrion II, with Sean T. Collins from 2020-06-11T08:01:39

Tyrion II, you ask befuddled? Did I miss Tyrion I? You did not. For reasons we explain in this podast. Don’t worry, it will all become clear in a moment.  But on to the topic! This episode i...

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BLAH 109 | The sample chapters: Barristan I+II, with Sean T. Collins from 2020-05-30T08:01:33

We’re on the home stretch! Today, in our series on the TWOW sample chapters, Sean and I look at not one but two Barristan chapters! Download the episode! Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boil...

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BLAH 108 | Plagues and diseases in Westeros, with Steven Attewell from 2020-05-14T08:01:38

We’re taking a break from the usual light-hearted discussions like the one about atrocities and war crimes and go topical: amidst the Corona pandemic, we’re talking about plague and di...

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BLAH 107 | A dozen at dinner, and other atrocities, with Jim McGeehin from 2020-05-03T08:01:55

When Tywin tried to legitimize the Red Wedding to Tyrion, he hyperbolically asked whether it was worse to kill a dozen at dinner than thousands in battle. Tyrion doesn’t have a good retort, ...

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BLAH 106 | The sample chapters: Arianne II, with Sean T. Collins from 2020-04-09T08:02:29

Is there some foreshadowing going on? Will someone die? Is this “A Song of Ice and Fire”? We can answer all of these in affirmative as we take on “Arianne II”, chewing happ...

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