Episodes

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by. For more in...

Have you enjoyed The Rings of Power Season 2? Join Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker on today’s episode of Mythmakers as they offer their thoughts on the latest season of Amazon’s show. After sharing their initial impressions on the production and visual realisation, they delve deeper into the story choices, lore, and characters, before wrapping up with a rating out of 10 rings (what else would it be?). Along the way, they explore some controversial topics—does The Rings of Power have a female ch...

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to stage a heist?

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by. For more in...

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to set up a speakeasy?

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by. For more in...

Welcome back to Mythmakers for our sixth season! Megan Whalen Turner began her career in 1996 and is still going strong as her series The Queen's Thief becomes available in the UK and the Commonwealth for the first time. US readers have been enjoying the series for years and she won the Newbury Award and Mythopoeia Award in recognition of her achievements. Take a listen as she tells our host Julia Golding about her career, the books that inspired her, and her link to Oxford fantasy through Dian...

Season 5 of Mythmakers has been one of many adventures, and as the season comes to a close, we’re going to look back at 5 highlights from our most enjoyed episodes. Join us as we dive back into the rising popularity of the Romantasy genre, before revisiting the presence of Fantasy at the Oscars. Appropriately, we’ll then steer the conversation towards our favourite Tolkien topics of this season, hearing some of Julia Golding’s travel recommendations when touring the film sites of Middle-earth i...

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to be a letter writer?

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to have ESP?

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to go to revisit memories?

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by. For more in...

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to be Robin Hood?

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by. For more in...

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to go on a caravan holiday?

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by. For more in...

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place to be a horse lord?

We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it chapter by chapter, novelist Julia Golding will reveal new details that you might not have noticed and techniques that will only go to increase your pleasure in future re-readings of our favourite novel. Julia also brings her expert knowledge of life in Oxford and English culture to explain some points that might have passed you by.

Where in all the fantasy worlds is the best place for fantasy island?

Amazon has released its teaser trailer and the first 'behind the scenes' video of The Rings of Power: Season 2. Join Julia Golding on today’s episode of Mythmakers to find out what appears to be included in this upcoming season. Do you share our hopes and fears that this series might not regain its mojo? Is it too sprawling, as Julia believes, or do you appreciate the epic scope? Let us know your thoughts! For the trailer breakdown by Nerd of the Rings visit the link: https://youtu.be/TfddhM-LM...

Very excitingly, Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis have announced that they are teaming up for a new film: The Hunt for Gollum. Join us on today’s episode of Mythmakers where Julia Golding will take us through the material that they will be drawing on and what the story possibilities are in this LotR prequel. Don't forget to let us know what you'd like to see included in the film! Since recording this episode, the fan-made film that Julia speaks about has been allowed back on YouTube by Warner Bros...

Today on Mythmakers we enter into the second part of our discussion of evil in fantasy stories, progressing on to contemporary fantasy stories, and beginning with Harry Potter. Who is the most interesting evil character in Rowling's world? See if you agree with Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker’s picks! The discussion moves on to mad scientists, space operas, Star Trek, Dr Who, and Star Wars. While we can't cover everything, we do hope that you enjoy this in-depth tour of fantasy evil! Take a lis...

Terry Pratchett famously said that “dark lords should be rationed” - but there is so much more to say about evil in fantasy than the cliche of the dark lord in a sinister tower at the bottom right of your map! On today’s episode of Mythmakers, Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker look at the philosophical underpinnings of evil, starting with the Inklings. Moving from a discussion of the importance of the Fall in C.S. Lewis, to the purgatorial world of choices in Charles Williams, we complete this pa...

Join us on today’s episode of Mythmakers where we've boldly picked our top five moments in The Lord of the Rings novels! Have a listen as Julia Golding takes a closer look at each moment, diving into what exactly makes these five the top contenders. Agree with our choices? Let us know! For more information on the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, our writing courses, and to check out our awesome social media content visit: Website: https://centre4fantasy.com/website Instagram: https://centre4fantasy.c...