The Side Quest Book Club Podcast
The Side Quest Book Club Podcast

The Side Quest Book Club Podcast

Slava & Jonathan

Overview
Episodes

Details

If you’re a reader looking for something deeper or an indie author working on your book, The Side Quest Book Club is for you. We skip the usual book reviews and ratings. Each episode turns fun side quests into real lessons, so you’ll leave not just entertained, but with a better understanding of why storytelling matters.

Recent Episodes

Crime and Punishment - Preamble - Fyodor Dostoevsky - Classic - Russian Literature
MAR 31, 2026
Crime and Punishment - Preamble - Fyodor Dostoevsky - Classic - Russian Literature
In this mini-episode, Slava sets the context for understanding Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic, Crime and Punishment.ABOUT THE BOOKIn the bleak heat of 19th-century St. Petersburg, Rodion Raskolnikov, a brilliant but destitute former student, wanders the streets nursing a dangerous theory. He believes that "extraordinary" men are above the moral law of the masses and have the right—even the duty—to commit crimes for the greater good.To prove his superiority, Raskolnikov executes a cold-blooded plan to murder an unscrupulous old pawnbroker. The "perfect crime" quickly spirals into a psychological nightmare. Haunted by guilt, paranoia, and the mind games of investigator Porfiry Petrovich, Raskolnikov begins to crumble.His only hope for redemption lies in Sonya Marmeladov, a young woman forced into hardship who maintains a self-sacrificing faith. As the walls close in, Raskolnikov must choose between a life of mental imprisonment or the path toward spiritual rebirth and confession.ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development, and share some laughs along the way.New episodes drop every TUES. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest JOIN THE GUILD 🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/ 💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast CREDITS Hosts: Slava and JonathanPodcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0vEditing by: CharacterNorth6081  - Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh    - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__
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32 MIN
Project Hail Mary - Movie Adaptation Review - Andy Weir -  Phil Lord - Christopher Miller
MAR 25, 2026
Project Hail Mary - Movie Adaptation Review - Andy Weir - Phil Lord - Christopher Miller
Jonathan, Slava, Spenser, and Josh watched the recent Project Hail Mary movie and had some thoughts...ABOUT THE MOVIE The wait is finally over! Project Hail Mary, the long-awaited adaptation of Andy Weir's bestselling novel, is officially in theaters and IMAX. Directed by the visionary duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Spider-Verse, The LEGO Movie), this sci-fi epic stars Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace—a middle-school science teacher who wakes up millions of miles from home with no memory of how he got there. He soon realizes he is humanity's last hope to stop the Astrophage, a space-borne threat that is literally eating our Sun.ABOUT THE BOOKProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir: The Ultimate Survival Story 🚀Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship with two dead crewmates and zero memory of how he got there. As his mind clears, he remembers the stakes: Earth’s sun is being consumed by a microscopic parasite called Astrophage, and he is the sole survivor of a last-ditch mission to Tau Ceti to find a cure.Facing impossible odds, Ryland must "science" his way through a series of interstellar disasters. But he soon discovers he isn’t the only one trying to save their home world. He joins forces with an unlikely alien ally, Rocky, in a race against time to save two civilizations from total extinction.ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and much more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development—and share some laughs along the way.New episodes drop every TUES. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest JOIN THE GUILD 🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/ 💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast CREDITS Hosts: Slava and JonathanPodcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0vEditing by: CharacterNorth6081  - Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh    - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__
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21 MIN
Bloodline Part 3 - Will Wight - Progression Fantasy Book - Anime in Book Form
MAR 24, 2026
Bloodline Part 3 - Will Wight - Progression Fantasy Book - Anime in Book Form
We're still on Cradle, Side Questers. But this is our last episode covering this book. We are on the ninth book in Will Wight's Cradle series, Bloodline. And it gets a little spicy.  Frankly, it's embarrassing. But only for Jonathan.ABOUT THE BOOKIn Bloodline (Cradle Book 9) by Will Wight, Lindon returns to Sacred Valley to evacuate his family and villagers before the Wandering Titan Dreadgod destroys the area. Although he possesses great power, an ancient curse limits his abilities, complicating his efforts as he encounters resistant villagers and strained family relationships.ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and much more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development—and share some laughs along the way.New episodes drop every TUES. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest JOIN THE GUILD 🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/ 💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast CREDITS Hosts: Slava and JonathanPodcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0vEditing by: CharacterNorth6081  - Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh    - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__
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97 MIN
Bloodline Part 2 - Will Wight - Progression Fantasy Book - Anime in Book Form
MAR 17, 2026
Bloodline Part 2 - Will Wight - Progression Fantasy Book - Anime in Book Form
We're still on Cradle, Side Questers. We are on the ninth book in Will Wight's Cradle series, Bloodline. And it gets a little spicy.  Frankly, it's embarrassing. But only for Jonathan.ABOUT THE BOOKIn Bloodline (Cradle Book 9) by Will Wight, Lindon returns to Sacred Valley to evacuate his family and villagers before the Wandering Titan Dreadgod destroys the area. Although he possesses great power, an ancient curse limits his abilities, complicating his efforts as he encounters resistant villagers and strained family relationships.ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and much more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development—and share some laughs along the way.New episodes drop every TUES. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest JOIN THE GUILD 🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/ 💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast CREDITS Hosts: Slava and JonathanPodcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0vEditing by: CharacterNorth6081  - Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh    - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__
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70 MIN
Bloodline Part 1 - Will Wight - Progression Fantasy Book - Anime in Book Form
MAR 9, 2026
Bloodline Part 1 - Will Wight - Progression Fantasy Book - Anime in Book Form
This week, we go back to Cradle, Side Questers. We are on the ninth book in Will Wight's Cradle series, Bloodline. And it gets a little spicy.  Frankly, it's embarrassing. But only for Jonathan.ABOUT THE BOOKIn Bloodline (Cradle Book 9) by Will Wight, Lindon returns to Sacred Valley to evacuate his family and villagers before the Wandering Titan Dreadgod destroys the area. Although he possesses great power, an ancient curse limits his abilities, complicating his efforts as he encounters resistant villagers and strained family relationships.ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST Reading is the ultimate side quest. Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and much more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development—and share some laughs along the way.New episodes drop every TUES. LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest JOIN THE GUILD 🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/ 💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast CREDITS Hosts: Slava and JonathanPodcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0vEditing by: CharacterNorth6081  - Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh    - Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__
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94 MIN