Your hosts have been to hell and back with Alice Law and Peter Murdoch and are ready to give their final thoughts on Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Did they love it? Yes. Did they understand it all? Probably not!

But first….Jacob updates William on his progress through the continually mid TV series Alien Earth. Then William admits that Jacob was right about 28 Years Later, and provides a shocking pronunciation of Puss In Boots 2.

NEXT WEEK:

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown, Chapters 1-71

Jacob and William are back in hell, journeying with their dysfunctional duo Alice and Peter through the middle portion of R.F. Kuang's consistently-surprising Katabasis. But first Jacob shares a new Netflix anime rec (Frieren), and William questions what's going on with Pierce Brown's Hazard Bedlam scavenger hunt. Please note this episode also contains multiple Taylor Swift references.

NEXT WEEK: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang Chapter 21-End

Jacob and William are back from their one-week hiatus, refreshed and ready to revert to dividing books into multiple-week journeys. That's right, your hosts will be breaking each book into manageable weekly reading chunks again starting with Katabasis, the new dark academia fantasy novel by R.F. Kuang.

But first, Jacob shares an update from bookworld, freshly returned from an author event with Dan Brown to celebrate the release of his new book The Secret of Secrets (soon to be discussed on a podcast near you). And then it's down into the depths of hell—which looks a hell of a lot like a college campus—with the antiheroes of Katabasis. Your hosts are loving it, check out the episode schedule below if you want to read along!

UPCOMING EPISODES:

• 9/18: Katabasis Chapters 11-20
• 9/25: Katabasis Chapters 21-End

It's William's birthday on this week's DRAGONS DADDIES DEEP SPACE! Our Leo-Virgo cusp king unboxes the gifts Jacob sent him, and shares that he voluntarily watched the Warcraft movie (29% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Then it's time to discuss The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet. Your hosts endeavor to spoil as little as possible while speaking for 40 minutes because–SPOILER ALERT for this DDDSpod ep–they LOVED this book, give it a resounding 5 stars, and want you to experience it for yourself.

NEXT WEEK (9/4) DDDS pod will be on a brief hiatus, before returning on the following Thursday (11th of September) with their first episode covering roughly half of Katabasis by R.F. Kuang.

A fly appears, a fly is killed, and another fly emerges.

Meanwhile... Jacob shares an important, and potentially live-saving public service announcement, which William one ups by sharing that he viewed a movie trailer. Next, your hosts share a programming update (spoiler alert: Infinite Silver is canonically unreadable). Then chests are bursting with extra terrestrials, eyes are bulging out of kitties, consciousnesses are transferring into hybrids, starships are crashing into buildings, and plots are getting riddled with holes as your hosts dive into the new FX on Hulu show ALIEN: EARTH. While they’re not sure how they feel about it–and aren’t getting that unique ALIEN feeling from it–they find plenty to chit and chat about.

NEXT WEEK’S EPISODE: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Leaping lizards! William and Jacob are joined by Ryan Keely, co-host of D&D real-play podcast I Seduce the Dragon, to discuss Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block. This slim, punk-rock, found-family, manic-pixie L.A. fairytale is new to your hosts, but not to Ryan, who highlights her enduring love for the novel and Los Angeles, while reckoning with the cringe and elements of cultural appropriation.

UPCOMING EPISODES:

• 8/21: Alien Earth Episodes 1 & 2
• 8/28: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Jacob and William are back in the Classics Corner, discussing the "lost classic" The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, as well as the 1982 film adaptation. They loved it–they might not get it!

But first, William shares an update on his progress through The Wandering Inn, and Jacob finds religion again. You won't want to miss the end of the episode, as Jacob sets the microphone on fire with his cover of the main theme from the hit film.

Jacob and William are bringing you their shortest episode ever, in honor of their shortest book yet: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, a slim science-fiction novella that carries big themes in its tiny little package. But first, William confesses a very William-coded mistake he made from his fantasy coma sickbed, and outlines his pitch to Make Jurassic Park Great Again. Then, Jacob gives a spoiler-free update on his journey through The Name of All Things, book two of Jenn Lyons' A Chorus of Dragons, and tours his dad's library.

UPCOMING EPISODES IN AUGUST:

• Next week: Classics Corner–The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
• Millennial Nostalgia–Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
• Alien Earth
• Silver Elite by Dani Francis