Fictional

On the season six finale of Fictional, the Wicked Witch of the West is dead, but it came at a terrible cost. Still, Dorothy needs only to travel back to the Emerald City to finally make her way home. If only things were so simple. Adapted from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum: https://myths.link/oz Myths and Legends: https://www.mythpodcast.com

Dorothy and the party make their way via crumbling yellow brick to the Emerald City, but all is not what it seems, and Oz, the Great and Terrible, has a gruesome request for them. Adapted from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum: https://myths.link/oz  

A girl from Kansas takes a ride on a cyclone to a bizarre, ridiculous, and dangerous land.  Adapted from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum: https://myths.link/oz

Two stories of Arsene Lupin. In the first, the Queen's necklace has gone missing from a locked and guarded room. On the second, a man just wants to relax on the train where he won't be crowded by loud, smoking people...or getting tied up and repeatedly punched in the face.   Sources: Arsene Lupin: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6133/pg6133-images.html  

Two stories of crime and punishment and why kidnapping is wrong and dangerous but not for the reasons that you think. By American author O. Henry.  Stories: The Ransom of Red Chief: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Whirligigs/The_Ransom_of_Red_Chief After Twenty Years: https://americanliterature.com/author/o-henry/short-story/after-twenty-years/  

A man discovers something reading the paper on his train ride into London: he's wanted for murder. What does he do next? Lead police on a low-speed chase to 221B Baker Street. Say hi on discord: https://myths.link/discord

Two stories from Edgar Allan Poe about the masks we wear and the work we do and the profound consequences of both. Today's stories were adapted from: "Hop-frog" by Edgar Allan Poe: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Poe%27s_Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination/Hop-Frog "The Oval Portrait" by Edgar Allan Poe: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Works_of_the_Late_Edgar_Allan_Poe_(1850)/Volume_1/The_Oval_Port...

Dr. Henry Harris has been called to the outpost for asteroid Y-3, humanity's first line of defense against a vast, strange galaxy, because there's a strange infection growing among the soldiers of the outpost: they think they're turning into plants. Adapted from "Piper in the Woods" by Philip K. Dick: (Warning, link NSFW as it contains a drawing of a nude alien) https://myths.link/piper  

The secret of the island is out, and Doctor Moreau is close to his greatest achievement. Will Edward Pendrick make it home, and, if he manages to get away from the island of horrors, what sort of man will he be when he returns? Adapted from " The Island of Doctor Moreau " by H.G. Wells. Connect with us on Discord: https://myth.links/discord Want ad-free episodes? Find us on Apple Podcasts or join...

When Edward Pendrick makes it into the lifeboat as the Lady Vain sinks, he thinks he's one of the lucky ones. Upon finding his way to the Island, populated with curious people, a reclusive genius, and his shamed assistant, he might question just how lucky he truly is. Adapted from " The Island of Doctor Moreau " by H.G. Wells. Connect with us on Discord: https://myth.links/discord Want ad-free epi...

Hi! It's been awhile. Thanks for your patience. Today is a special episode and not the start of the next season, but a new season is coming in 2025. In Victorian England, they told ghost stories on Christmas. Today, we have three ghost stories from that era. The stories today were adapted by the Weisers from "The Old Portrait" by Hume Nisbet, "The Ghost's Summons" by Ada Buisson, and "Old Applejoy...

Dr. Freddie Drummond is in a great position: a fulfilling job, a wonderful fiancée, and the respect of titans of industry. So...why is he going out at night, living a double life? Today's story was based on "South of the Slot" by Jack London.

Someday Henry Bemis is going to do it. Sometime he is going to go to that wonderful, glorious place and live the life of his dreams. The place? Well, the public library, of course. But...today is not that day. -- Today's episode was inspired by "Time Enough at Last" by Lynn Venable.

What happens when your nose leaves your face...and starts living a better life than you? Today's episode was adapted from the story "The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol. You can find the full text here . -- Looking for something else to listen to? Check out Best of the Worst! It used to be a segment on this show. Now it's a weekly mini-cast. https://www.nextpod.com/botw-subscribe

You receive a letter from an old friend. He isn't doing well. He invites you to visit him at his house. His house...that's eating him whole. Today's episode was inspired by "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe.  

Two men, a servant and his master, take a drive on a snowy evening. The experience will forever alter both of their lives. Adapted from "Master and Man" by Leo Tolstoy. -- If it sounds like it would be your thing, check out Mitos y Leyendas, Myths and Legends in Spanish! https://myths.link/mitos  

It's the 2010s and nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union has forced humanity into bunkers, scorching the planet and leaving only the Leadys, the semi-sentient robot fighters, to continue to wage the war above against other Leadys. The humans below, however, think that their Leadys might have other motives... -- Adapted from "The Defenders" by Philip K. Dick.

We learn which crime Sherlock Holmes thinks is the absolute worst...and it's not what you think it is. Also, the great detective tries his hand at crime himself. Once he crosses that line, will he be able to come back from it? -- Check out Best of the Worst! https://www.nextpod.com/botw  

A young woman working as a servant for a cruel countess falls in love with the man across the street. It seems like a fairy tale, but are there more sinister motivations at play? Adapted from " The Queen of Spades" by Alexander Pushkin

Sanger Rainsford, a big-game hunter, just wants to go home, but he finds himself on an island belonging to General Zaroff, a fellow hunter with twisted, unorthodox tastes. Sanger refuses to go along with Zaroff, but what will last longer, Sanger's adherence to his principles...or his life? Adapted by the Weisers from "The Most Dangerous Game" Read the original: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/O._He...

Humanity is isolated for their own safety in their homes, but they settle in to communicate through world-wide messaging and video calls, and face-to-face, person-to-person interaction becomes rarer and rarer, to the point that it's uncomfortable and awkward. And no, the writer had no knowledge of the year 2020. E. M. Forster's prescient work of science fiction was first published in 1909. After a...

The story of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief, begins with him sending a letter to a baron with the exact date and time he will rob the man. The baron immediately contacts the best detective in France. ...oh and Arsène Lupin is actually in prison so the armed guards, locked gates, and flooded tunnels seem like overkill. But...this is Arsène Lupin, so, of course, the poor Baron doesn't even stand a ch...

A Halloween episode with two stories from the master of Gothic horror, Edgar Allan Poe. Adapted by the Weisers from "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe

A professor checks in to a rundown hotel for a long vacation and becomes obsessed with another resident - a pale man who moves from room to room. Adapted by the Weisers from "The Pale Man" by Julius Long -- The shop: https://shop.bardic.fm -- Music: "Andelo" by Blue Dot Sessions "Velda Tallow" by Blue Dot Sessions Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder

Lester's work has killed trillions, making way for humanity's march across the galaxy. But, after a trip off-world and witnessing a dead planet firsthand, he's now changed. Lester wants out. Will the government release their best scientist and, more importantly, did Lester even return from the wastes? -- The new site: https://fictional.fm -- The next story: A man goes to a country hotel for his su...