Bobby D’s Reading Room

The time is April 1953, what exactly is up there atop Mt. Everest? Mankind doesn't know, but we've seen the pictures. There's something up there. And whatever it is... it's moving! Check out this full audiobook recording of "Everest" a golden age sci-fi short story by the legendary Isaac Asimov.   In this short story -- originally published in Universe Science Fiction in December 1953 --- the summ...

You hear that? That's the haunting, deafening silence of the Red Planet in this full-length audiobook of Ray Bradbury's classic short story, "I, Mars" - alternately published as "Night Call, Collect." ​ Emil Barton, Martian colonist, has been stranded on Mars for sixty years (take THAT, Matt Damon!) and is utterly alone... until the telephone rings on his 80th birthday. But the voice on the line i...

Welcome to this full-length Robert E. Howard audiobook! 👻 Dive into a chilling piece of classic psychological horror with "The Fearsome Touch of Death," one of Howard's powerful weird fiction short stories, originally published in Weird Tales (Feb 1930). A man decides to sit with a recently departed corpse overnight—it's a tradition, even for the most miserly of us. It's just a corpse. What could...

A cursed Monkey's Paw grants three wishes to its owner. What. Could. Go. Wrong? The Monkey's Paw is a classic English horror story by W. W. Jacobs. The story originally appeared in Harper's Monthly in September 1902. It was later published in Jacobs' short story collection, The Lady of the Barge.

There were more Joes on Venus than you could shake a ray gun at. Perhaps there was method in Colonel Walsh’s madness – murder madness – when he ordered Major Polk to scan the planet for a guy named Joe. Welcome back to Bobby D’s Reading Room where I invite you to stick around for a little bit, pull up a chair, join me on a journey to Venus, and let me read you a story. Today’s story is a good one...

Amra of Akbitana is the last warrior standing after a hellacious battle that left many slain. He’s beaten and weary when a woman appears before him, who promises to lead Amra to his doom. Will Amra survive the… Gods of the North? Today’s story is a wild one by one of my favorites, Robert E. Howard. Gods of the North was first published in The Fantasy Fan, March 1934. Some trivia about the story. H...

Solomon Kane and a companion find an ill-maintained inn nestled deep in the Black Forest. Will these weary travelers find rest for the evening, or will they be haunted by the Rattle of Bones? Welcome back to Bobby D’s Reading Room where I invite you to stick around for a little bit, pull up a chair, join me on a trip to the Black Forest, and let me read you a story. Today’s story is a bone chiller...

Two men who are guided by the writings of a mysterious book venture into a long forgotten cemetery in search of ungodly secrets long since buried in an ancient subterranean realm… Will both men live to tell the tale? Stick around for that famous final line! Prepare to have your sanity tested by one of H.P. Lovecraft’s most unsettling stories: The Statement of Randolph Carter, which was originally...

A man is lured by his friend into the dark and damp catacombs beneath the home of the once great Montresor family, oblivious to the horror and danger that awaits him. Of course, he was only interested in The Cask of Amontillado… Today’s story is an all-timer. An intoxicating tale that has captivated and haunted readers for generations: Edgar Allan Poe’s masterful short story, "The Cask of Amontill...

A trio of robbers unaware as to the mysteries of New England take aim on a very rich and very old target. Had these three known the tales, they would have never set their sight upon The Terrible Old Man… The Terrible Old Man was written in 1920 and published in The Tryout, July 1921.

A shuddery tale of dark horror and evil things, and the uncanny funeral rites over the corpse of old John Grimlan.... Dig Me No Grave is a horror story written by Robert E. Howard. It was originally published in Weird Tales, February 1937. If you enjoyed my reading, feel free to hit the 'ol like button and, hey, why not subscribe for more stories!

A spaceman crash lands on a deserted planet. A rescue ship is only days away. All he has to do is wait it out and get some rest. What happens when he can't sleep - when the ghosts of the planet haunt his dreams? Asleep in Armageddon was originally published in Planet Stories, Winter 1948.

This was a fun story to read! A sci-fi quickie from the master, Philip K. Dick, about a man who takes the written word FAR too literally to hilarious ends and is convinced there's an alien invasion underway! Aliens! This is a funny, funny satirical story -- sort of a rarity in the often serious realm of sci-fi. The Eyes Have It was published in Science Fiction Stories 1953 and is in the public dom...

Something new here on the show. I'm reading through all of Shakespeare's play, so let's start at the beginning! The first play, The First Part of King Henry the Sixth. One of Shakespeare's worst offerings, or perhaps something else? Let's find out!  

Strap in and rediscover a classic sci-fi story one of the best, Ray Bradbury. Morgue Ship is a haunting tale about two men on a ship whose job is to recover bodies of the fallen floating aimlessly in space. What happens when they happen upon the body of enemy that could turn the tide of the war for good?! Morgue Ship was originally published in Planet Stories,  Summer 1944. 

Time for a classic American short story - An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. A story best known for it's shocking ending that took readers by surprise when it was originally published!

It's a horror story today on the podcast with an original short story written and read by... me! 

A dramatic reading of The Bum written by Don Shea. It's a boxing / crime story about a fighter who is in the fight of his life - for the championship... and more! Originally published in Fight Stories Magazine, Fall 1949. Read by Bobby D. Lux.

A dramatic reading of Welcome, Martians! by S.A. Lombino, an author better known to many readers as Evan Hunter, who would find his fame writing as Ed McBain. Originally published in Worlds of If Science Fiction in May 1952. Read by Bobby D. Lux. Thanks for listening. 

A dramatic reading of Ray Bradbury's short story, A Little Journey. Originally published in Galaxy Science Fiction, August 1951. Read by Bobby D. Lux. Thanks for listening. Please enjoy.