The Prancing Pony Podcast

Seems to be a truly lovely woman and very funny at times but she does talk down to viewers and frankly has a very dreary view of the world and the women who live in it and Tolkien as well. I find calling him a man of his time to be redundant. You can’t be someone out of your time. Either be honest what you think of Tolkien or quit throwing him under the bus and measure his moral health by your own standards. This show is still fantastic and I consider myself highly indebted to it.

Second update! I love Sarah. She is so funny and so inspiring and she adds a different perspective to the discussion which makes for more inclusion. Tolkien is for everyone! Updating: I had read the Silmarillion and just didn’t “get it.” But rereading while listening to PPP and sharing the enthusiasm and love that Alan and Shawn have, has really made me appreciate it. I wasn’t willing to commit to nearly 400 episodes but I’m now 40 in and I get so much from every one. This is just amazing. Original: I came to the PPP through their podcast on the Rings of Power and was so impressed by their humor, depth of knowledge and insight. It is a delight. I love that they interview people like Bret Devereaux who unveils an entire world of Tolkien that I couldn’t have imagined. Devereaux’s piece on why RoP ends up feeling flat was perfectly on the nose. That said, I learned so much about the Second Age from PPP and I appreciate the generosity with which they watched the series.

Episodes with Shawn and Alan are 5 star. Outstanding. When Sara is on, more like 2 stars.

So my mom was born in the 1960s and sometime in the 1980s she gave me her paperback Hobbit and LOTR series. Unbeknownst to them I was surviving childhood with inattentive ADHD. If there was ONE thing I could always lose myself in was a few good chapters. Decades later I learned that was hyperfocusing. As the years passed I consumed anything and everything I could. When it came out that Jackson was doing the movies the only thing I could think was “I swear Jackson if you screw up the Ents I’m done with you.” Of course they were everything my ten year old brain had imagined. It’s more than a few decades later and I just now got a suggestion for the podcast. It’s absolutely amazing. I’ve started at the beginning and won’t stop.

I just started listening to this podcast early in 2026. These gentlemen bring so much depth and connections to the Legendarium! And they are funny! I’ve been listening while I am trail walking. At some points they have me laughing out loud. Between the puns, movie and music references, they just bring a freshness and fun the Professor’s works. I haven’t read whether balrogs have wings yet, but I agree—who doesn’t like Firefly! Since I am so far behind, I will be listening for many years, I think!