It’s nap time in the Old Forest as our heroes gradually succumb to the power of an ancient and angry willow. Sam rolls a natural 20 to resist the spell and manages to save Frodo, but Merry and Pippin are trapped inside the enormous tree. Just when...
Frodo and his companions enter into the Old Forest in the first part of Book I, Chapter 6 of The Lord of the Rings. Merry has been beyond the Hedge before and does his best to guide them, but it’s hard to navigate a forest when the trees won’t stop...
A conspiracy is finally unmasked in the second half of “A Conspiracy Unmasked”! Frodo’s dread turns to relief when he learns his friends already know much more than he gave them credit for. They insist on leaving with him and promise to stick to him...
The second half of “A Short Cut to Mushrooms” finds Frodo almost as scared of Farmer Maggot as he is of the Black Rider following him. His fears are quickly eased, however, and he finds a good friend in an unexpected place. We discuss the...
We begin the new year with a Tolkien Fun Fact in honor of the Professor’s birthday before starting on Book I, Chapter 4 of The Lord of the Rings, “A Short Cut to Mushrooms.” Frodo, Sam, and Pippin wake up after the Elf-party refreshed and...
Now with more Elves — for a limited time only! Book I, Chapter 3 of The Lord of the Rings concludes with a meeting between our hobbit heroes and the company of Gildor Inglorion in the Woody End. We reach back into The Silmarillion for a recap of the...
We return to Book I, Chapter 3 of The Lord of the Rings to find Frodo, Sam, and Pippin still in high spirits as they stroll through the Shire. Before long, though, they realize that they’re being followed by a shadowy, sniffing black rider. We talk...
We begin Book I, Chapter 3 of The Lord of the Rings, “Three is Company”. After months of preparation, Frodo sells Bag End. He leaves home with Sam and Pippin on a pretense of moving back to Buckland, but before they even get to the bottom of the...
In the final pages of Book I, Chapter 2, “The Shadow of the Past”, Gandalf recounts how he found Gollum and filled in the gaps in the Ring’s history. Frodo begins to understand what he must do; and while he’s not exactly eager to do it, he won’t...
In our second Prancing Pony Podcast Q&A episode, Alan and Shawn answer live questions from guest patrons on diverse topics, from the fate of Dwarves after death to which character we’d cosplay as… if either of us ever left the house, of course. Hear...