41. Why Tolkien is Great – with John Carswell from The Tolkien Road

Three dwarves lost and a shape-shifting berserking bear unleashed—the aftermath of the Battle of the Five Armies reconciles Bilbo to Thorin and gives us a completely different Elvenking than what you ...

26 Nov 20250s

Did Tolkien “earn” The Battle of the Five Armies, or is the surprise enough to justify its existence? In this episode, we look at Tolkien’s climactic battle from The Hobbit, comparing how it unfolds o...

11 Nov 20250s

Bilbo owns up to his burgling — a betrayal that drives Thorin to the brink of killing him.  But Bilbo isn’t cowed… and the armies of elves and men aren’t cowed by Dain’s special forces.  But maybe the...

28 Okt 202556min

We look at Chapter 16 of The Hobbit, where Bilbo makes his most controversial choice-—handing the Arkenstone over to Bard and the Elvenking. Is Bilbo a traitor to the dwarves, or the only one thinking...

15 Okt 202549min

The talking birds bring news of the dragon’s demise to the dwarves–only to find a host of elves and men are coming to the mountain’s gate. Bard makes his claim for a portion of the treasure, but Thori...

30 Sep 20250s

You’d think the death of the dragon is is the climax of The Hobbit… right? In this chapter, Tolkien gives us action, destruction, and the rise of a new unlikely hero. We look at Bard’s big moment, the...

16 Sep 20250s

Smaug is gone, so the Bilbo and the dwarves… just sit there?!  For a couple of days they do–and eventually they reach the treasures.  Bilbo, though, makes a choice to REALLY become the burglar when he...

4 Sep 202552min

Smaug is finally fully revealed! This week, we finish “Inside Information”, where Bilbo finally comes face-to-face with the unassessably wealthy dragon. We break down the wordplay Bilbo engages in as ...

19 Aug 20250s