Episode 3: Bond, James Bond

James Bond is a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by Ian Fleming, and was featured in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have written authorised Bond novels or novelizations. 

The character has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strips, video games and films. The films are the longest continually running film series of all time and have grossed over $7 billion in total, making it the fourth-highest grosssing film series to date, with six different actors starring in the lead role of Bond. 

Other important elements which run through most of the films include Bond's cars, his guns, and the gadgets with which he is supplied by Q Branch. The films are also noted for Bond's relationships with various women, who are sometimes referred to as "Bond girls."

To hear more about James Bond and the spy genre, listen to the podcast here!

Episode 2: Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is a founding member of the Justice League, a goddess, and ambassador of the Amazon people.

The character first appeared in All Star Comics #8 in December 1941 with her first feature in Sensation Comics #1, January 1942. The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986.

In her homeland, the island nation of Themyscira, her official title is "Princess Diana of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta." When blending into the society outside of her homeland, she adopts her civilian identity Diana Prince. The character is also referred to by such epithets as the "Amazing Amazon", the "Spirit of Truth", "Themyscira's Champion", the "God-Killer", and the "Goddess of Love and War"; she is considered by her Amazon sisters to be "beautiful as Aphrodite, wise as Athena, stronger than Hercules, and swifter than Hermes".

Created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston and artist Harry G. Peter as the world's first and foremost female superhero, Wonder Woman at once embodies the unrivaled force and supreme grace of a born warrior, and the genuine compassion and understanding of a true humanitarian.

To learn more, listen to the podcast!

Episode 1: The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride was originally a 1973 novel written by William Goldman. The book is presented as an abridgment (or "the good parts version") of a longer work by (a fictional) S. Morgenstern. 

You're probably more familiar with the 1987 feature film (screenplay written by Goldman himself), and directed by Rob Reiner.

A segment of the book was published as "Duel Scene (From The Princess Bride)" in the anthology The Best of All Possible Worlds (1980), which was edited by Spider Robinson.

To find out more about the Princess Bride, its origins, and how to introduce it your kids, listen here!