It's time to deck your halls and trim your trees as Christmas comes to DDDSPod. Naughty Nicholas "Coal" Claus, the heir apparent to the not-so-nice King of Christmas, is lovesick for the Prince of Halloween, betrothed to the Princess of Easter, and all three are locked in a love quadrangle (Coal's brother Kris (also bisexual) is obviously in love with the Princess of Easter). It's a messy situation, made even messier by meddling parents and the omnipresent holiday kingdom tabloids, as your hosts discuss the first half of The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch.

But first, Jacob reminds William to watch Spartacus: House of Ashur, William reveals a shocking false promise (he doesn't know how to quit The Wandering Inn), and both hosts share their reading plans for the holiday break.

NEXT WEEK:

The Nightmare Before Kissmas–the epic conclusion

William and Jacob are fresh back from Thanksgiving feasting, and they do believe they have been changed for the better by Wicked: For Good, though the ‘sequel’ doesn’t defy gravity quite like part 1. Then it’s time for the epic deconstructed/reconstructed Throne of Glass tandem read as they review Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (spoiler alert, they didn’t tandem read, William just read them in the wrong order). They both loved one and loathed the other, and they’re boldly going against the grain with their MalaFirebringer-hot takes.

NEXT WEEK:

The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch (the first half or so)

It's time for the epic conclusion of The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey, as Dafyd and the other hostage humans of Anjiin make their play for the survival of the human race. Jacob and William loved this book (4.5 Stars!) and find a lot to discuss and giggle about along the way.

But first...your hosts can't get enough of Rosalia's LUX, wish for a better IT: Welcome to Derry, Jacob begins a journey through The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, and William shares an update on Erin Soltice and friends from The Wandering Inn by pirateaba.

Upcoming episodes:

• 11/27: No episode, Happy Thanksgiving
• 12/4: Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

In this week’s reading—The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey Parts 3 and 4—the rules of the alien overlords’ game are becoming more clear to the abducted humans of Anjiin. There are also monkey aliens, hexapods with a World Song, and a horny swarm of nanobots.

But first…your hosts have been busy watching a lot of TV and movies. Jacob shares spoiler-free thoughts on the first two episodes of Pluribus on Apple TV (5 stars, run don’t walk!!!), and both William and Jacob have been allured by the truly bonkers All’s Fair on Hulu (5 very different stars, also run don’t walk!!!!).

NEXT WEEK:

The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey finale: Parts 5 & 6

William and Jacob are back after celebrating All Hallows together in the City of Angels. They dish on William's Halloween extravaganza, and flying CGI demon babies in IT: Welcome to Derry, while Jacob reads a non-scifi or fantasy book (Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte).

Then they're *finally* back in deep space, kicking off their three-episode discussion of The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey, the first in a new space opera series by the author of The Expanse. While it kicks off to a slow and bureaucratic start, things pick up quickly when your hosts encounter their absolute favorite scifi staples: wild alien creatures.

UPCOMING EPISODES:

• November 13: The Mercy of Gods Parts 3 and 4
• November 20: The Mercy of Gods Part 5

Your hosts have seen through The Eyes of the Dragon and...they might be kinda mad they read this one? After an intriguing start, Stephen King's foray into fantasy commits an egregious crime: it's cringe.

Before they get there, William and Jacob bemoan the dearth of quality spooky content this Halloween season, and look forward to their upcoming reunion at the Q4 DDDSpod hosts summit (William's Halloween Party).

NEXT WEEK: No episode

November 7: The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey (150 pagesish)

And just like that...your hosts are back in a fantasy world, discussing Stephen King's first break from horror into fairy tale with The Eyes of the Dragon. In the first half of this 1987 novel, Jacob has his lavender goggles on finding a queer reading that might not be there, and William is loving the journey but doesn't know where it's going.

Before they get there, William stuns Jacob with a shocking Wandering Inn progress update, and Jacob is drunk. He also watched Wayward on Netflix.

Next week: The conclusion of The Eyes of the Dragon.

William and Jacob are finally ready to divulge The Secret of Secrets as they share their thoughts on the second half of Dan Brown's latest Robert Langdon thriller. Was it good? Did they love it? The answer to that might surprise you (it probably won't), but there are lots of laughs along the way.

Before they get there Jacob pushes back against the internet's knee-jerk reaction to Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl (a no-skip album), and William gets ready for Halloween with spooky movie programming.

UPCOMING EPISODES:

• The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King: Chapters 1-60
• The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King: Chapter 61-End