How metal is a retelling of Oliver Twist from the point of view of one of literature’s most harmfully stereotypical villains? Find out as we discuss Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein. We’ll give you all the spoilers you need, then delve into:

• Why do authors retell stories?
• The most impactful additions/changes Epstein makes
• Epstein’s portrayal of Jacob Fagin’s Jewish roots
• The Fagin/Sikes relationship dynamic
• Father figures
• The setting
• Most relatable characters
• Jacob’s future
• Bullseye: bad dog or certified good boi?

You can find our Spotify profile with our Fagin the Thief playlist at https://open.spotify.com/user/31kosaxlm6j56e44766ijo4ndzjq?si=cdd4a1a247c646e1

Special Features:

1. Victorian Pawn Stars
2. Dating Simulator, Victorian Era Edition
3. Rules of the (Sesame) Street

Music Mentions:

Wayfarer by Kerrigan

The Skies Turn Black by Vried

Trolddom by Lysbaerer

Reading Recommendations:

1. Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
2. Drood by Dan Simmons
3. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

October’s Book: Get ready to tempt fate as we read Arcana Academy by Elise Kova. We talk tropes, Nate reveals his tarot skills, and we all find out whether this romantasy is metal.

Playlist Contents:

Hello from the Gutter - Overkill

Life is a Losing Game - Slow Fall, Inkar

And My Father Left Forever - My Dying Bride

London Town - Miracle Of Sound

Aggression Incarnate - Phosgore

Neverlasting - Sentenced

Inequality Street - Skyclad

Old as Wise - Sam Gorski

They Will Let You Down - Witherfall

Misery - The Eden House

Patron Saint O' Thieves - The Rumjacks

Hurt - Between The Buried And Me

A Laugh In a Sea of Sorrow - Sylvaine

Criminals - Rivers of Nihil

Let There Be Dark - TOWER

Rude Awakening - Prong

Love Is A Dog From Hell - THE ANSWER LIES IN THE BLACK VOID

Betrayal - Shatterheart

The Dungeons Are Calling - BEHÖLDER

The Bells - Blazing Eternity

Today we're investigating the most-hyped books and albums of the first half of 2026. We compiled our lists by scouring “Best of Year So Far” rankings and cross-referencing with word of mouth and social media buzz we've heard this year. We listened to the talked-about albums and conducted Kindle and Libby sample chapter tastings of ballyhooed books, and we're reporting back on our experiences.

Music Mentions:

• Twilight of the Golden Star - Zørzha, feat. Harakiri for the Sky and Karg
• Search for Agartha III - Billy Odal
• “Where This World Ends” - The Night Eternal

Most-Hyped Albums:

• Nowhere In Between Forever - Lantlôs
• Coronach - Hellripper
• Pull Like a Dog - The Scratch
• IN VERSES - Karnivool
• DREAMCRUSH - MØL
• An Undying Love for a Burning World - Neurosis
• The Ghost of a Future Dead - At the Gates
• The New Flesh - Sylosis
• silence outlives the earth - Erra
• Der Hjemsøkte Hjertet - Panopticon
• Necropalace - Worm

WRMH would like to hype:

• Seeds of the Formless - The Moon and the Nightspirit (big Trees of Eternity vibes)
• Isle of Bliss - Hanging Garden
• Songs from the Veil - As the Sun Falls

Most-Hyped Books:

• Kin - Tayari Jones
• Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke
• My Husband's Wife - Alice Feeney
• This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me - Ilona Andrews
• Whidbey - T. Kira Madden
• The Keeper - Tana French
• This Immortal Heart - Jennifer Saint
• The Unicorn Hunters -Katherine Arden
• The Fox Hunt - Caitlin Breeze
• The Last Contract of Isako - Fonda Lee
• Land - Maggie O’Farrell
• Dear Monica Lewinsky - Julia Langbein

WRMH would like to hype:

• Mortedant's Peril - RJ Baker (similar protagonist power profile to that of Celehar in Katherine Addison’s Witness for the Dead)

Also mentioned:

• Trad Wife - Sarah Langan
• Trad Wife - Saratoga Schaefer
• Catherynne M. Valente

Next month’s book: Grab the smelling salts and hold onto your valuables because we're reading Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein, and we're about to get Victorian AF (As Fagin, that is.) Be there or be a respectable, upstanding member of society.

Nate and Jacki put The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller to the metal test in this month’s episode. This retelling of the myth of Achilles focuses on the greatest Greek hero’s greatest love, our narrator Patroclus. We spoil the story (it’s okay, you’ve read The Iliad, right?), then get into:

• The popularity of mythological retellings
• Romantasy, fantasy, lit fic: what’s in a genre name?
• Our histories with The Iliad
• Achilles and Patroclus in love: the ship that launched a thousand, um, ships
• Hubris versus low self-esteem
• Favorite god/mythical creature cameos
• Thetis and the cycle of trauma
• Women in war
• The meanest men of the Greek army
• The grief of Achilles
• Achilles, Priam, PTSD, and daddy issues
• Achilles is a sensitive guy
• Glory and death versus longevity and mediocrity
• What’s a hero?

You can find our Spotify profile with our Song of Achilles playlist at https://open.spotify.com/user/31kosaxlm6j56e44766ijo4ndzjq?si=cdd4a1a247c646e1

Special Features:

1. A lost Greek myth
2. The Bachelorette: Ancient Greece
3. Ancient Greek pickup lines
4. Mythical Creature Teachers
5. Greek Hero vs Action Hero
6. Would You Rather: Grecian Prophecy Edition

Music Mentions:

Death Knocks by Hoaxed

Vaketimen by Evig Natt

Reading Recommendations:

1. Jennifer Saint’s Greek retellings
2. Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great by Rachel Kousser
3. Bull by David Elliott
4. Kaikeyi by Vashnavi Patel

September’s Book: Prepare to get your heartstrings swindled, because we’re reading Fagin the Thief, Allison Epstein’s reimagining of the character Fagin from Charles Dicken’s famous novel Oliver Twist. Expect doom metal vibes, serious discussion, and a Victorian era dating simulator.

Playlist Contents:

Blood Of Our Blood - Kreator

Journey to the End - Windir

As All Must Come to Pass - Shylmagoghnar

Years of Prophecy - Alkonost

Dancing in the Ashes - Wormwitch

A Ghost Trapped in Limbo - Sylvaine

I'll Be Your Hero - Rhapsody Of Fire

Ghost Of My Hero - Evergrey

Avenge The Fallen - HammerFall

When Fate Is Calling - Bloodbound

Leading the Lyre - Carmeria

Prayer - Year of the Cobra

How The Gods Kill - The Halo Effect

Guardian - Æther Realm

Sera-(The Dance of War) - Sakis Tolis

Your Worst Enemy - Defiled Serenity

Epitaphios - TRIUMPHER

Legends - Equilibrium

Trapped In A Corner - Death

All My Friends Are Dead - Carpathian Forest

Memoriam - Musk Ox

The Metalheads discuss a foundational metal-literature crossover today: “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Iron Maiden, a 13-minute epic masterpiece that gave new form to the story of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem.

We get into:

• The inspiration behind the song, including a brush with the Satanic Panic
• Why does this poem work so well translated into song?
• Plot differences between the song lyrics and Coleridge’s original poem/gloss
• Does the song carry the theme of the poem?
• Breakdown and discussion of the song’s movements
• Which literary works we wish Iron Maiden would cover
• The scary boat songs we recommend
• “The Flying Dutchman,” Sacred
• “Demeter,” The Birch

Coming Next Week:

• We’re discussing The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, so hop in your chariot and roll up to your speakers to listen! (Okay, the wheels fell off that metaphor. Sorry about that.)

Sources:

• If you’d like to read our sources on the song’s genesis, check out these articles:
• https://norselandsrock.com/rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-iron-maiden/
• https://www.loudersound.com/features/iron-maiden-story-behind-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner

Quick topic summary: This time, it's personal! Nate and Jacki discuss their metal listening origin stories. We talk about:

• Nate's secret past as a band guy (Jacki is too intimidated to attempt German words)
• The defining songs and albums that started our roads to heavy metal
• Growing up with parental music choices including Steppenwolf, Captain and Tennille, and Garth Brooks
• CD prices and music discoverability before the 2.0 internet (a dark time indeed)
• Concerts we've seen: Nate plays air guitar at Ozzy, sees Nevermore and Mayhem in college, and falls for Rain Fell Within at Metalfest, also with shout-out to Anathema. Jacki witnesses true love at a GWAR show, survives the onslaught of A Band of Orcs
• Beavis and Butt-Head, obviously
• The shift from record labels to self-producing
• What keeps us coming back
• Nate's love of black metal
• Jacki's in a thruple with power and folk metal
• How our metal listening overlaps with our reading tastes
• A digression on Béowulf and JRR Tolkien
• Nonfiction and heavy metal
• Benefits of metal fandom

You can find our Spotify profile with our Metal Origins playlist at https://open.spotify.com/user/31kosaxlm6j56e44766ijo4ndzjq?si=cdd4a1a247c646e1

Music Mentions:

• Amok by Sentenced
• In Extremo
• “Ecce Homo” by The Black League
• “Breaking the Law” by Judas Priest
• “Pull Me Under” by Dream Theater
• “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath
• “Holy Diver” by Dio
• Live at the Fillmore by Testament
• The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience by Beavis and Butt-Head
• Greatest Hits by Queensrÿche
• “The Family Ghost” by King Diamond is the video referenced
• “Transcendence” by Labyrinthus Stellarum
• “Eternity” by Anathema
• “Land of Snow and Sorrow” by Wintersun
• Forgotten Tales
• “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk” by Emperor
• Moonlight Sorcery (Again! We love them!)
• “Bēowulf Is Mīn Nama” and “O Fortuna” by Corvus Corax
• Kentucky by Panopticon
• “With Doom We Come” by Summoning

Upcoming Reading/Listening Releases

1. The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy by Chuck Billy (11/2026)
2. Born in Flames by Bench Ansfield (09/2026)
3. Big Bad Book of Kaiju by Jonathan Mayberry and Henry Herz, ed (08/26)
4. Ocean Above Stars Below by Triosphere (08/26)

Next Month’s Book: Bring your lyre and your hand-painted urn, because it's The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

Playlist Contents:

• Nepenthe - Sentenced
• Ecce Homo! - The Black League
• Breaking the Law - Judas Priest
• Pull Me Under - Dream Theater
• Iron Man - Black Sabbath
• Holy Diver - Dio
• The Preacher (Live) - Testament
• Bark at the Moon (Live) - Ozzy Osbourne
• Come To Butt-Head - Beavis And Butt-Head
• Someone Else? - Queensrÿche
• The Family Ghost - King Diamond
• WarChiefs of the Apocalypse - A Band of Orcs
• Transcendence - Labyrinthus Stellarum
• Eternity (Pt. 1) - Anathema
• Land of Snow and Sorrow - Wintersun
• Cold Heart - Forgotten Tales
• Béowulf Is Mín Nama - Corvus Corax
• With Doom I Come - Summoning

This month we investigate whether or not The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston is metal, and considering this book is inspired by Die Hard and set in a fantasy world based on Bronze Age Scotland, you can probably guess our conclusion. We give spoilers galore, then discuss:

• The Die Hard inspo
• World-building and set pieces
• All druids, all day
• Youth versus experience and why both are valuable
• Work-life balance as a lord regent and a palace guard
• The protagonist’s adjustment to physical disability
• If this book had been inspired by a buddy cop movie instead of Die Hard
• If this protagonist had been cast in a different ‘80s action movie setup
• Action scenes in print versus film

You can find our Spotify profile with our Last Shield playlist at https://open.spotify.com/user/31kosaxlm6j56e44766ijo4ndzjq?si=cdd4a1a247c646e1

Special Features:

1. Post-Carnage Job Interviews
2. Cannibal Corpse Carnage Countdown
3. Rock, Paper, Whatever: Sunweald Palace Edition

Music Mentions:

Fighter by Kerrigan

Surrender also by Kerrigan

Loving the Dead by Vried and Djerv

“What Is Coworker Metal?” article, Metal Injection

Reading Recommendations:

1. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
2. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
3. Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines

August’s Book: Grab your sword and sandals, because we’re reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. This modern classic retells the myth of Achilles through the eyes of his most beloved companion Patroclus. Epic love, epic action, epic spears in faces.

Playlist Contents:

• The Awakening - Saor
• To Live Is to Fight - Almora
• Betwixt Shield and Sword - Curta'n Wall
• Assassin - Trouble
• Walking Wounded - Frayle
• Hamrer Hippyer - Heilung
• Revenant - SuidAkrA
• Sanctuary - Adfeilion
• The Green Enchanted Forest of the Druid Wizard - Ifernach
• Dark Altar Magic - Hoaxed
• Let's Kill These Motherfuckers - Lair Of The Minotaur
• The Oaken Throne - Empyrium
• Shield Anvil - Queen of Dreams
• Taker of heads - Waylander
• Deep Stillness (Rest for a While) - Solstice Rider
• The Punisher - Kasck
• I Am Warrior - Cruachan
• Hammer Smashed Face - Cannibal Corpse
• Unbroken You Remain - Hand of Kalliach
• In Youth We Learn, in Age We Understand - Sakis Tolis

We give a recap and honest review of seeing a show on the Frozen Soul/Fleshgod Apocalypse/Avatar tour (spoiler, we loved it!)

We discuss:

• Going back to concerts after years away
• The joy of seeing and hearing expertise
• Stage setup
• The audience
• Children at metal shows
• Frozen Soul: Chad Green’s stage presence, the Texas metal vibe, and one solid death metal beatdown
• Fleshgod Apocalypse: Veronica Bordacchini’s next-level voice, Francesco Ferrini’s stellar piano skills, Francesco Paoli’s ferocious performance, classical themes and old world charm, light design, showmanship, inspiration behind the album Opera, Eugene Ryabchenko’s blast beats, stage design
• Avatar: sets and props, Johannes Eckerström: ringmaster, John Alfredsson’s menace faces and cymbal-hat minions, the murder circus vibes, Jonas “Kungan” Jarlsby’s shred session, expert act pacing, favorite moments
• Variety in touring partners

Upcoming Titles in Books:

1. Mudlark by Mary Helen Specht (07/2026)
2. The Mortons by Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbeleister (07/2026)
3. Ship of Death by Kyle Winkler (09/2026)

Upcoming Titles in Music:

1. MetalMorphosis by Masterplan
2. Helden X Hymnen by d’Artagnan
3. Assiege pour l’eternetie by Vehemence
4. The Venom in the Mouth of God by Combichrist

Book Club Reminder: In our next episode, we’ll discuss The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston, so grab your copy and get ready to die hard with a druidic vengeance!

This month we weigh the metal-ness of Katabasis by RF Kuang, in which a graduate student in magic at Cambridge must take a trip into Hell/the Underworld with her academic rival to get their advisor back after he blew up in a magical experiment gone wrong. We spoil the plot, then talk about:

• World-building
• The enduring popularity of Underworld travel narratives
• Alternative careers for magicians
• Advice for the protagonists
• Ideal metal musicians to guide you in the Underworld
• Petty sins that deserve their own circles in Hell
• Our ideal rulers of the Underworld
• Work-life balance in academia

Due to the book’s contents, we may also briefly discuss manipulation and abuse in academia and suicidal ideation.

You can find our Spotify profile with our Katabasis playlist at https://open.spotify.com/user/31kosaxlm6j56e44766ijo4ndzjq?si=cdd4a1a247c646e1

Special Features:

1. Metal Trivia
2. 1985 Date Night Movies
3. Would You Rather? Underworld Edition
4. Design-a-Hell
5. Pick a Hell: Fictitious Character Edition

Music Mentions:

Path of Resistance by Primalfrost

Year of the Cobra by Year of the Cobra

Warriors of Greyhawk by Greyhawk*

*The departing vocalist from Greyhawk we mention is Rev Taylor, who left the band to focus on his opera career (yes, really) and was replaced by the talented Anthony Corso.

Reading Recommendations:

1. Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
2. The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
3. The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

July's Book: The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston. Get ready for a Bronze Age beatdown, Die Hard style, in this grimdark fantasy novel about a palace guard who would die for her oath but prefers to kill for it.

Playlist Contents:

• Katabasis - Persefone
• Would You Walk With Me Through Hell? - Lord Of The Lost, Infected Rain
• The Meadows of Asphodel - Mors Principium Est
• The Great Below - Kvaen, Jeff Loomis
• Crystal Logic - Manilla Road
• In Tartarus - The Night Eternal
• Devil's Light - Novembers Doom
• Hounds of Hell - Dead Soul
• Lethean - Katatonia
• Don't Pay the Ferryman - Domain
• Souls of Black - Testament
• Bleed In My Arms - Sentenced
• Underworld - i Häxa
• The Descent to the Last Circle - Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult
• Dis - Daidalos
• Cerberus - Carved Memories
• Will I Deserve It - Structure
• Lethe - Throes Of Dawn
• Inked in Blood -Sigh
• Don't Come Back from Hell Empty Handed - Oceans of Slumber