All Rings Considered: A Tolkien Podcast

Time to dive into a new book! Pip and Charlie talk about Boromir's "victory," Aragorn's choices, and shifting points of view in the first chapter of Book 3 and The Two Towers, "The Departure of Boromir."

We did it! Charlie and Pip finish 'The Fellowship of the Ring' by looking at the meaning of "fellowship," the manipulative behavior of Boromir, and the running themes of Books 1 and 2.

Charlie and Pip get their notes ready and look at uncertainty, doubt, and the desolate but evocative landscape in Book 2, Chapter 9, "The Great River."

Pip and Charlie say...farewell to Lorien after discussing Book 2, Chapter 8, "Farewell to Lorien." Farewell.

Charlie and Pip look at "the long defeat" and compare Lorien and Rivendell as they look at Book 2, Chapter 7, "The Mirror of Galadriel."

Book 2, Chapter 6 brings Pip and Charlie to the dangerous-but-fair, preserved-but-dying forest of Lorien.

Charlie and Pip awaken to find themselves looking at one of Book 2's pivotal chapters, "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum." Drums, Balrogs, language writing systems--find it all right here on this week's episode of ARC.

The power of original language, journeys into the unknown, and Tolkien's questionable chapter names--all that and more as Charlie and Pip discuss Book 2, Chapter 4, "A Journey in the Dark."

The past comes back to help our heroes, Tolkien brings in a little Christianity, and fire abounds as Charlie and Pip look at Book 2, Chapter 3, "The Ring Goes South."

Pip, Charlie, and a not-so-special, kind-of-average guest pay tribute to the longest chapter in The Lord of the Rings with a super-sized episode!

Charlie and Pip have made it to Book 2! In this episode, they look at Tolkien's expansion of Middle-earth, his shift to elevated and archaic language, and The Lord of the Rings' consistent relationship with The Hobbit.

With this episode, Pip and Charlie are finishing Book 1 of The Lord of the Rings, and a lo-fi, temporary-use microphone isn't going to stop them. Join them as they look at Pip's favorite chapter of the entire novel!

Chapter 11 gives Charlie and Pip the opportunity to look at the landscape of Book 1 and some of the big themes of the novel as a whole, including the nature of evil.

THE ONE PODCAST EPISODE YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST LISTEN TO: Pip and Charlie look at the character of Aragorn in Book 1, Chapter 10, while also finding time to peruse and discuss clickbait from GQ. Plus, you won't BELIEVE which artistic medium Pip thinks would be a great fit for Tolkien's works...

Charlie and Pip run out of things to talk about because it's such a straightforward chapt...okay, I can't keep this up, they read into and overanalyze a bunch of stupid details in Book 1, Chapter 9, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony."

Pip and Charlie are back from holiday break to talk about the Barrow-wights, etymologies, and their most important topic yet: rocks. Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Hey-ho merry doll, it's time for Pip and Charlie to spend an entire episode looking at the true hero of The Lord of the Rings, Tom Bombadil. Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In episode 6, Charlie and Pip look at the Old Forest, and, try as they might, can't avoid diving into that thorny question: what is up with Tom Bombadil? Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Pip and Charlie record a special episode in-person to celebrate...the shortest chapter in all of Book 1. Join them as they look at Tolkien's Catholicism, the geography of Middle-earth, and the return of WaterWatch. Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Book 1, Chapter 4 gets Charlie and Pip thinking about the power of Tolkien's songs and the creepiness of the Nazgul. Music credit: "Long Road Ahead B" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/