Dear Dr. Fantasy: episode 57, with Mike from Mike's Book Reviews

[@mikesbookreviews]

Thanks again for the invite, amigo! Always a pleasure to chat. I look forward to your thought on Bound and the Broken!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I'll be diving into The Fall tomorrow! I look forward to finding out why so many people love The Bound and the Broken. Thank you for being a guest once again on DDF and for being a pillar of our community, Mike!

[@mladenkrompic566]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy What happened to Mark's channel?

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@mladenkrompic566 I have no idea. It looks like someone took over Mike’s channel. KZbin confusion?

[@NamasteBbooktube]

​@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy hacked probably?

[@claytonhomer3096]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Looks like he has been hacked. They change the name of the channel and run all those scam streams. I have seen this happen before on other channels. It will take a few days for him to get it back most likely. I believe the best thing is for him to get in touch with KZbin and get eyes on it. I have heard tagging with lots of people on twitter/X to get attentionhas helped. Hope he gets it returned quickly! Excellent conversation as always!

[@jeffhannah1250]

Great to see these guys together again!!! YES!! 👍

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

It's always a pleasure to chat with Mike! Cheers!

[@jeffhannah1250]

Just gotta say that thumbnail is hilarious, too!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@jeffhannah1250 Ha ha! I think it gave Mike a chuckle too.

[@iWizard]

Yes, two of my favorite BookTubers in one place! I could listen to this all day.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you, Jordan! I’ll be reaching out to you soon to see about an episode of DDF too!

[@BrianBell7]

it took me a few sittings to watch the whole show, but I'm glad I did. You guys are great and really are pillars of the booktube community. I'm glad the Beowulf Alert was activated.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Ha ha! The trusty Beowulf alert must be kept in a constant state of readiness around these parts. Cheers, Brian!

[@totallysick88able]

Man I just love when you two get together and have a conversation. The energy and flow is so natural and entertaining. Keep up the great content 👍

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you, Ken! I’m glad you enjoyed the discussion!

[@esmayrosalyne]

Always a great time when Mike is involved! He is a pillar of the community for a good reason :) Can't wait for the Bound and the Broken chats! And I am also soooo looking forward to The Fury of the Gods. Great chat, thanks for the fun!!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you, Esmay! I’m starting The Fall tomorrow!

[@DoUnicornsRead]

Two of the greats! Loving this back to the beginnings episode, Philip!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you, Angela! As always, I appreciate you watching. See you soon for our first discussion on The Bound and the Broken!

[@DoUnicornsRead]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Can't wait for our discussion! Just started The Fall today and if the rest is like this, then bring it on! Btw, the full time KZbinrs don't make the bulk of their income through add revenue but through brand collaborations. So better get that Harris Tweed sponsorship.😁

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@DoUnicornsRead Ha ha! Harris Tweed would be my favorite sponsor, for sure!

[@SamPegg90]

My two favourite dudes on the internet. Really enjoyed your chat gentlemen

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’m glad you enjoyed the chat, Sam! It’s always a pleasure to meet up with Mike. All the best!

[@dubbs648]

I’m not sure why this didn’t show up on my subscription feed. I’m so happy I didn’t miss it. I could watch the two of you chat for hours

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I'm glad you found the video! Thank you so much for watching!

[@samm8190]

For a second I thought Dr Fantasy was speaking to the great Mister Ruocchio

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Not yet! Someday, I hope!

[@iWizard]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Yes please!

[@arthurnoglak6386]

I owe you both a HUGE thank you for helping me rediscover my childhood infatuation for fantasy/SCIFI. I read insatiably as a teen but slowed dramatically in my 20s and 30s. 3 years ago I somehow stumbled upon one of Mikes Reviews on LOTR and decided to to do a Re-read. I was shocked that Mike had not read the Silmarillion, and looked for a a video and found Phillip! You two have both inspired me to read dozens of amazing books in the last few years. Please Never stop doing book reviews. Also, this long form discussion is simply amazing. 🙏 Thank you agin gents! PS. Mike, the Sillmirillion is a very short read, and simply AMAZING. As Phillip would agree I’m sure, it always evokes catharsis.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I couldn’t agree more with you about The Silmarillion! It’s a sublime read in itself, but it also adds such depth to The Lord of the Rings. My best to you for your reading!

[@NamasteBbooktube]

I completed watching this now, great discussion.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you, Diptanjan! Much appreciated!

[@Shelf-Esteem]

Two of my favorites, back together again! Feels like the start of summer, Christmas Eve, and the first day of the year all rolled into one!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thanks so much! It's always a pleasure to chat with Mike!

[@MattonBooks]

Two of my booktube faves in conversation? I’m here for it. Thanks gentlemen for all you do. ♥️

[@MattonBooks]

And I think from now on I’m going to title all of my videos “Friend of English Professor reacts to…” 😜

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Ha ha! The vicissitudes of BookTube are endlessly fascinating, but one thing that doesn’t change is that it’s always good to see a friend. Cheers, Matt!

[@No8Named8Shadow]

When it comes to One Piece, because it’s been ongoing for so long I think a lot of OP KZbinrs have naturally ended caught up, in one form or another, where most of the discussions are discussing the latest chapter and theorizing its implications. So the dissection and time you put into an in depth look at each arc can be fresh. If you’re interested a YT called Totally Not Mark has made videos similar to you guys on his OP journey, and he’s usually really good at talking about story.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you for the tip! I haven't heard much about Totally Not Mark yet, but it sounds like a channel I need to check out once I've caught up. All the best!

[@mich7008]

Great conversation between two guys I found a couple of years ago when I jumped into the fantasy genre! I’m with you Philip, can’t do audiobooks!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I gave audiobooks a try, but I’m afraid I’d have to work hard to learn to enjoy them. I’m glad they exist for people who love them!

[@thedrownedkingdomsaga7847]

Great convo with 2 of my favs in this space! Did not realize not only was Mike the first Dear Dr. Fantasy guest, but that he gave you the moniker as well Philip! Amazing! Looking forward especially to hearing your thoughts on the Bound and the Broken. Mike did not steer you wrong - I LOVED 'THE FALL', but have not read the main series yet. Still, I hear it's the perfect intro to the series! Also, very much itching to continue my R. Scott Bakker journey. Getting FOMO hearing you speak about the next trilogy, but I still need to read book 2 of the 1st one!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you, PL! I’m confident you’ll enjoy Aspect Emperor when you get to it. See you in a couple hours!

[@YouWinILose]

This conversation sparks much joy 🙂

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Yay! Thank you for watching!

[@noname3609]

Enjoyable discussion ! :D

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Cheers!

[@MacScarfield]

Awesome to listen to your chat while finishing Christopher Ruocchio’s “Tales of the Sun Eater Vol. 1”! 😄 Can not wait to get to “Fury of the Gods”! Glad to here you are enjoying the “Shogun” show Professor, how far are you into the series? And you are more then welcome to give me a call if you visit Norway! You can visit the “real” Caladan, which was filmed on Stadtlandet! 😄 That said, I will recieve my library copy of "The Dragonbone Chair" by Ted Williams soon, and I have located the only library copy of "Demon in White" in my country, so me and Mr. Ruocchio will be tangoing again soon in the not to-far-future!😁 Cheers!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you, MacScarfield! Norway is a possibility, most likely just Oslo. I’ll email you about it. All the best, and happy reading!

[@thefantasythinker]

Always glad to hear from Mike! Really fun conversation guys!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jarrod! Thank you for watching!

[@FlochIsKing]

Have been enjoying this discussion so far! I'm glad you're enjoying One Piece, my favourite saga is Water Seven (which involves 2 arcs), it's peak One Piece! I'll be interested to see what you think of the most recent arcs when you get there and how they compare to the first half of the series, there's a huge divide in the community about that at the moment. You mentioned the Way of Edan in the video; that made me think, any news about the audiobook by Allen?

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

The audiobook for The Way of Edan should be out in July! I’ll announce it when I have a hard date. I’m on the Water 7 Saga now and am excited for it!

[@JuanMartinez-ib7mz]

Mike: Not mentioning any names Philip: Poor GEORGE... and PATRICK 😂😂😂😂😂

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Oops! I said the thing out loud . . . 😁

[@Nasser851000]

Philip's second arch rival XD

[@mikesbookreviews]

Never! Philip is my Ride or Die.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Ha ha! There's a short list of books Mike and I don't see eye to eye on (Song of Susannah . . . cough cough), but we always keep things friendly. All the best!

[@MrRoro_su]

Mike's back 🎉🎉

[@marcweber8509]

It's so interesting how differently free will is explored in Wars of Light and Shadow vs. Second Apocalypse. I find it endlessly fascinating. Personally I feel more drawn to Janny Wurts' philosophy but I'm also delighted to sink into the muck of Bakker's despair, haha. Both series are right there at the pinnacle of the genre. Looking very much forward to hear your thoughts on Aspect Emperor! PS: There's also gonna be some free will discussion in One Piece down the line ;)

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Like you, I lean more toward Janny Wurts’ position than Bakker’s, but the latter is also a brilliant writer. I look forward to that part of One Piece!

[@neutral_narr]

Not really

[@skywalker80316]

Great conversations between my two favorite Booktubers!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’m so glad you enjoyed the chat! Thank you for watching!

[@NajibullahMehrabi-mz5hk]

Read the fall and liked it, i will read of blood and fire eventually after mike recommends it so much

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Mike gets us all to read books - he’s good at it!

[@thatsci-firogue]

I recently picked up Sun Eater again about 2 years after reading Empire of Silence and already I'm enjoying it significantly more, and i liked EoS for the most part but its on the back-burner for now as I'm also reading Guy Gavriel Kay right now. Eagerly anticipating your thoughts as you go on Aspect-Emperor.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’m almost done with The Judging Eye! I’ll be chatting with Johanna soon about it. Stay tuned!

[@thatsci-firogue]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Music to my eyes reading that!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@thatsci-firogue Well said!

[@thatsci-firogue]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I know you've said you've read Tigana, but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on more of his books. Art and its role and impact on our lives is a recurring theme, even if its more of a background component in some and I think he handles humanity and its complexities with such a deft and careful pen. Its not a matter of him being "realistic", though that is a factor but there's a respectful honesty to his depictions as well, and to the periods and cultures he takes inspiration from.

[@mastersal4644]

I missed the song 😮😱😱

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

In that case, you're fortunate! It's on an old episode of The Week That Was, I think.

[@nazimelmardi]

Still think that the Asian Saga next book - Tai-Pan deserves more attention. The only reason is the samurai hype why Shogun is the highlight. Book 3 actually gets back to Japan and meets some characters with Tai-Pan (children of them) and from Shogun (grandchildren or so) so there is connection on a level between each book. Worth reading. The central focus is on the families we meet in book 2. Also there are adaptations of each book. Renew them.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I will have to read the novels someday. I have only one episode left of the show, and it's been high quality storytelling.

[@nazimelmardi]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy yes. If nothing but the first two worth the time. A lot really goes for the samurai hype but you know a lot about history and Tai-Pan is going into the East India Company time how it went down with the taking of Hong Kong and opium-tea trade, involving the Chinese and their very different long term strategy for generations that is true even today. Etc.. it’s really a good story. Not quite this. It’s more balanced between western and Asian. Yet it’s in Asia and they have to deal strongly with them. And there is USA, Portugal, etc, so international conflicts.

[@KalleVilenius]

Still haven't gotten into Ryan Cahill, but that Christopher Ruocchio fellow sure can spin a space-yarn and I thank Mike kindly for leading me to him. Don't think he's a top ten author, but of authors actually working today he's pretty high up. A writer who reaches for something ludicrously distant and actually grasps what he's reaching for! And he didn't even pay me to say that.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’m looking forward to Sun Eater! Cheers, Kalle!

[@jimmccleery9394]

Mike is back!! Hope everything is good man!!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

He’s got electricity back after the tornado. A close call!

[@stevenstewart782]

I think it's interesting how The beginning Mike talked about going on the cruise to see clear water cause he doesn't get to see that at home living on the gulf of Mexico the funny thing is I live in Florida Every time I've gone over to the west coast it themost Beautiful clear water I've ever seen

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

The grass is always greener on the other side! Or the water . . . 😁

[@ericF-17]

It's interesting I basically watch almost all your videos except these manga ones that are getting tons of views. Do you know how different the audiences are for your manga videos vs. everything else? Is there a lot of overlap or not?

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

There’s a good amount of overlap. For example, I’ve found a lot of the people who watch my manga videos are also Malazan fans or are interested in the series. Obviously, with the difference in views, the majority of the manga only fans watching my videos are not interested in my fantasy content, but there’s enough overlap that I’m not interested in splitting my channel between fantasy and manga. Cheers, Eric!

[@ericF-17]

​@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I certainly wasn't encouraging you to split your channel. I was just wondering.

[@heidi6281]

I have been reading We are the Dead book 1 of the The Last War by Mike Shackle and Of Darkness and Light by Ryan Cahill at the same exact time. Yes, the Bound and the Broken is enjoyable but I give the Last War the edge. It is richer and has more gravitas. If I were using impressionist art as an analogy, The Last War is like Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Bound & the Broken is like Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Two heavyweight post-Impressionists! I hope neither author loses an ear, though. 😁 Cheers, Heidi!

[@KarlKerwinSaz]

I HIGHLY recommend you to explore the world of chinese webnovels specially Reverend Insanity and Lord of the Mysteries. They're a unique take on high fantasy and it could be a breat of fresh air for you since the themes and atmosphere of the novels may highly differ from the usual western fantasy. There are problems you may encounter though specially the prose due to them being translated novels. Reverend Insanity is a highly philosophical work with a tell not show prose and you could either love or hate that though this novel is banned by the china due to it's themes but it's an extremely unique form of fiction, I don't think there will be another thing like this. Lord of the Mysteries on the other hand is what you may call the Lord of the Rings of chinese webnovel world.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Thank you for the recommendation!

[@_jared]

An English Professor Talks to Mike's Book Reviews About An English Professor Talks About One Piece

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Ha ha ha! Very meta, Jared. An English Professor should also talk to a philosophy lover (sort of redundant with the “phil” in “philosophy”) about One Piece and other things!

[@_jared]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Absolutely!

[@mikesbookreviews]

eleventy billion views!

[@dalicieux]

I get the critics of Poppy War even though I did enjoy it a lot myself, but I do think Philip would enjoy Babel a lot.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Babel is on my TBR, and I know it has themes I enjoy, so I’m hopeful I’ll love it!

[@totheR0L]

*sniff* *sniff* .... do I smell.... A ONE PIECE DISCUSSION? at least I hope so :D lets see

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

One Piece was inevitably brought up! I hope to chat with Mike about the series again. Cheers!

[@mikesbookreviews]

@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy I'm planning to read Skypiea while on vacation!

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

@@mikesbookreviews Perfect vacation reading!

[@heidi6281]

Phillip contact mike, someone hijacked his channel??

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’ve messaged him. I hope he’ll be able to get it fixed!

[@dpeady78]

Ah yes The elder statesmen…

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

These days we are distinguished members of the Quilluminati.

[@stevenstewart782]

Hey there's something weird going on mike's channel seems to have been taken over by a bitcoin account I think he's been hacked

[@stevenstewart782]

Even the link in your video to his channel has changed

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

I’ve messaged Mike about it. I hope he’s able to get it fixed ASAP. It must be a huge pain right now.

[@timburbagereads]

Interesting to see 2 people with large followings (for booktube) still complaining about how the algorithm helps and hurts them the same way as struggling starters like myself

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Best wishes for your channel, Timothy!

[@univeriseman8008]

But Chani was turned into a generic YA love interest while Paul was too angsty until the book politics came into play. They made the movie boring

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

That's definitely not how I experienced Chani. To be fair, I don't read much YA romance.

[@ARE.eads_e-Books]

Don’t start with The Fall