The Well Told Tale

This week, still in the Halloween spirit, we bring you what is widely regarded as the first modern vampire Tale, a short story called 'The Vampyre' by John Polidori.  It is notable as the second most famous piece of literature to come out of the legendary ghost story competition held between Byron and Shelley and their friends over a wet weekend on the shores of Lake Geneva.  That contes...

We return, this Halloween week, to the twisted imagination of one of our favourite writers here at The Well Told Tale, Edgar Allan Poe.  Unlike many of his other gothic Tales, his focus in this short story is not on the fantastic, or the phantasmagorical, but the terrifying reality with which the protagonist is presented.  Published at the end of 1842, 'The Pit and the Pendulum' is a re-...

This week, we again bring you three Tales in one - three of Rudyard Kipling's 'Just So' stories. Kipling used to tell these fanciful origin stories to his daughter every night, and she would insist that he told them each time in the same way, 'just so.'  We have already heard about the camel, the whale and the rhinoceros; after these three there will be another six we may...

Today, our story is another classic fairy tale, 'Beauty and the Beast'.  Although it has taken inspiration from much older stories, like the myth of Psyche and Cupid, it first appeared in print after Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve wrote a version.  It became more famous still when the author of many French fairy tales and morality stories, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, abrid...

Last week, we learned of the horrors that befell the Gardner farm after a meteorite landed near its well, emitting a strange colour that defied description.  The produce has grown large, taking on this same strange colour, but is foul to the taste.  The animals are growing grey and brittle, falling apart, and the trees sway even when there is no wind.  The Gardner family have gone missing, mad, or...

This week, we journey once again into the nightmarish world of H. P. Lovecraft with his sci-fi work from 1927, "The Colour Out Of Space".  This was Lovecraft's own personal favourite of his short stories, and one of the best examples of his particular blend of science fiction and horror.   As with many of his stories, it is as much about what you don't see as what you do.  How...

This week, we have the finale of 'The Island of Dr. Moreau' by H. G. Wells.  Moreau is dead, killed by his own creations, who appear to be devolving back into their beast-like nature.  Prendick and Montgomery have survived for now, but will they manage to escape?   If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books...

This week, we have the penultimate part of Edward Prendick's nightmare on the island of Dr Moreau.  Last week he was treated to a horrifying explanation of his scientific process.  He also explained the presence of all the creatures on the island - they are the legacy of experiments to make animals more human, and none of them have gone entirely to Moreau's liking.  Prendick still has no...

Our protagonist, Edward Prendick, has escaped the clutches of Dr. Moreau and his assistant Montgomery and is on the run.  Not only does he have the mad scientist and his assistant to hide from, but he also has to contend with the beasts created by Dr. Moreau.  Prendick has encountered some of these creations and taken part in the beasts' strange ceremonies.  Could they be more ally than foe? ...

Last week, we left our protagonist, Prendick, on the Island of Dr. Moreau.  Having met the eponymous doctor, Prendick finds he has no choice but to try and escape, but he's on an isolated island, with Moreau, Montgomery, and a host of Dr Moreau's terrifying creations.  How can he possibly get off the island? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: ht...

Last week, we left our protagonist, Edward Prendick, adrift on the ocean once more.  Having been rescued from a shipwreck by unusual medical man Montgomery, he has been abandoned in a dinghy after a fight with the crew.  Thankfully, he is near land - the mysterious island that Montgomery and his strange menagerie were heading for.  Making it to the island is Prendick's only chance for surviva...

This week, we return to one of our favourite writers here at The Well Told Tale, the grandfather of science fiction, H. G. Wells, and his classic, 'The Island of Dr. Moreau'.  As with many of his books - a number of which we've covered on the podcast - this is a foundational classic in its own sub genre.  In addition to being a thrilling Tale, it deals with some profound themes - ho...

This week, we have a classic fairy tale from master of the genre Hans Christian Andersen, 'The Little Mermaid'.  This is, of course, a very different story to the famous Disney film of the same name. Enchanting, beguiling, tragic, with hints of the morality tale and an absence of singing crabs, it is indeed a fairy tale, but perhaps more of a literary work than that simple title suggests...

This week's Tale introduces us to another of Robert E. Howard's foundational epic fantasy characters, Solomon Kane.  This is still a world of sword and sorcery but, arguably, a world closer to our own.  As you'd expect from the creator of Conan, Kane is brooding, lone, and violent, but he has, perhaps, more of a mission in mind than Howard's later hero.  But is his need to rid...

Last week, we went to Canterville Chase where the Otis family have settled after moving to the English countryside from America.  They were warned about the Canterville Ghost which has haunted the property for centuries, but upon encountering it, they seemed more irritated than scared.  To make matters worse for the ghost, the Otis twins appear to enjoy playing practical jokes on him.  He has neve...

This charming Tale is from one of the finest and funniest writers of all time, Oscar Wilde. "The Canterville Ghost" was Wilde's first published story, and has been adapted many times since for stage and screen.  Wilde would perhaps become best known for his acerbic wit and poking fun at genteel society, but he would return to supernatural themes in his more frightening work "Th...

This week, we return to one of our favourites, master of horror Edgar Allan Poe, and one of his most famous works, "The Tell Tale Heart."  First published in 1843, it quickly became a classic. Be warned, its themes of murder and madness are not for the faint 'hearted'. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewellt...

This week, we bring you three Tales in one - three of Rudyard Kipling's 'Just So' stories. Kipling used to tell these fanciful origin stories to his daughter every night, and she would insist that he told them each time in the same way, 'just so.'  We may revisit his others at some point - there are twelve in all - but for now, let us hear 'How the Camel Got His Hump&...

This week we present a Tale unusual in that it forms part of a more famous story, that of Bram Stoker's gothic masterpiece, 'Dracula'.  Published after his death in a collection of short stories, it is almost certain that this was intended as the original opening to Dracula.  It forms a prologue and an introduction to the world of the 'nosferatu', but it would seem Stoker&...

Last week found Conan, King of Aquilonia, stripped of all his powers and imprisoned by the evil wizard Tsotha-lanti.  A host of horrors await him in this dungeon.  How will he escape and reclaim his kingdom? Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link helps support the podcast): Conan: The Barbarian - Complete Collection - https://amzn.to/341JWWZ The Complete Chronicles of Conan: Centenar...

This week, we return to the Hyborian Age for another Conan Tale, 'The Scarlet Citadel'.  This takes place later in Conan's chronology, after he has become not just a skilled and mighty warrior, but the King of Aquilonia. However, how will he fare when all that has been stripped away from him? Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link helps support the podcast): Conan: The...

This week we reach the finale of "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom."  Who did kill Julius? Will he save the park? And will he ever reconcile with Lil?  More from Cory Doctorow: His website - https://craphound.com/ Little Brother - https://craphound.com/category/littlebrother/ Radicalized - https://craphound.com/category/radicalized-full/ If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale,...

In this penultimate episode, our narrator Julius really is 'down and out'.  He's become obsessed with stopping Deborah taking over the entire park. So obsessed, he has lost his girlfriend Lil to his best friend, Dan.  Where will he go from here? More from Cory Doctorow: His website - https://craphound.com/ Little Brother - https://craphound.com/category/littlebrother/ Radicalized -...

Following the events of last week's episode, our narrator, Julius, is at an all time low.  His attempt to sabotage Deborah's adjustments to the Hall of Presidents has failed; he's fallen out with his girlfriend Lil, and, perhaps worst of all, he is offline, cut off from the Bitchun Society and the world he knows.  Where will he go from here? More from Cory Doctorow: His website - ht...

This week, we return to the strange future world of "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom." Julius, our narrator, still doesn't know who killed him.  Of course, in this world, death is not nearly as fatal as it could be, but Julius wants to know: who killed him, and more importantly, why? More from Cory Doctorow: His website - https://craphound.com/ Little Brother - https://craphound.c...