My podcast library isn’t very big (yet). I can fly through most novels in a couple of days and a comic in an afternoon, but podcasts, like TV shows, are more of a time commitment. So I tend to only listen to ones that I really, really like.
I really, really like Inn Between.
If you’ve never listened to it before, here’s the description from its website:
Inn Between is an audio drama podcast, a fantasy-adventure between adventures, wherein five heroes encounter monsters, magic, fighting, and friendship in the conveniently located Goblin’s Head Inn. There will be laughs. There will be bickering. There will be character development.
https://www.thegoblinshead.com/
There’s no shortage of stories about adventurers going on quests in epic fantasy settings, so let’s talk about what sets Inn Between apart. It actually skips the vast majority of the action scenes in the heroes’ quest. Instead, each episode starts when the heroes return to the inn to recuperate and react to what happened.
Basically, Inn Between focuses on the moments in between the action (See what they did there?), on character development and interaction—which I think is the best part of any story.
When the five adventurers first join together to take on a particularly dangerous job, they don’t like each other that much. Many of the early episodes are about them checking their first assumptions and coming to understand one another. There’s a big theme of empathy throughout the series, which I love.
The cast includes:
- A fourth-wall breaking halfling bard
- A very anxious wizard
- A wise old friar (who has secrets)
- An uptight paladin (who also has secrets)
- A taciturn half-orc mercenary (named Betty)
I love this group so much. They bicker and banter, and as their journey goes on, they help each other with their individual traumas and problems. They learn when to push and when to give each other space. You can feel the camaraderie between them, and each episode is like hanging out with a group of your best friends.
Season 3 recently started, and it focuses on a new cast of characters. Normally, I hate it when a show does this. I get invested in characters, not the concept or plot of a story. But…
But the original cast’s story was perfect. They grew and changed over two seasons and ended up in such good places that I can’t even be mad their story ended, because it ended in exactly the right place.
The episodes average about 10 minutes each, so it’s not much of a time commitment, and you can binge it fairly quickly. Listening to it always leaves me in a good mood. The show is warm, uplifting, and extremely funny–which doesn’t mean it never gets dark or serious, but I’d definitely classify it as a “feel good” story.
If you’re interested in listening (and I really recommend you do), you can find the show at TheGoblinsHead.com or search for it on whatever app you use to listen to podcasts.
Do you have any podcast recommendations? Let me know in the comments.
Stay safe out there, adventurers.
Kristen Brand 