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In our last episode, we had author Aliette de Bodard on to discuss the absence of mothers in speculative fiction. One explanation put forward was the focus of chosen one narratives – these stories rely on the protagonist achieving something great, against all odds, and usually alone (or supported by a small group, rarely, if ever, including family). This is by no means the only problem with the chosen one trope.

We also felt it was high time we took Charlotte’s muzzle off!

Despite the number of shout outs to the wonderful Anna Smith Spark, we can assure our listeners that this episode is not in fact sponsored by the author or her publisher!

Texts mentioned in this episode include:

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Battle Royale
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin
• The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Harry Potter
• Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
• The Matrix
• Willow
• Star Wars
• Starborn by Lucy Hounsom
• Disney’s Aladdin
• Monty Python’s Life of Brian
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
• Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
• The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
• Battlestar Galactica
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr
• The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
• Fullmetal Alchemist
• Alien
• Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan
• The Belgariad by David Eddings