Talking Scared
- Episódios
- 360
- Publicação
- semanal
- Último episódio
- 10 nov 2026
Sobre o podcast
Conversations with the biggest names in horror fiction. A podcast for horror readers who want to know where their favourite stories came from . . . and what frightens the people who wrote them.
Episódios 360
[From the Vault] Ronald Malfi & Can Death Do Us Part?
During my short time away from you, I reach back into the dim past of Talking Scared and unearth treasure. This From the Vault episode is from July 2021, when I first met Ronald Malfi, to talk about his …
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During my short time away from you, I reach back into the dim past of Talking Scared and unearth treasure. This From the Vault episode is from July 2021, when I first met Ronald Malfi, to talk about his supremely creepy (and weirdly lovely) novel Come With Me.
It’s a big, satisfying, chunky road novel packed full of murder, monstrosity and motel-stays in the creepier corners of the country. I recommend it to everyone.
Ronald joins me to talk about the book, about writing grief and the very real tragedy that underpins Come With Me. We get into in local lore, the link between leaded petrol and serial killers, and why ecology may be the new haunting. And yes, we talk about how marriage should be a bigger theme in horror! Next time your wife, or husband, or significant other gets up in the night – think about that. What are they up to in the bathroom? Could be the usual. Could be something evil.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned in the show include:
December Park (2014), by Ronald Malfi
Snow (2010), by Ronald Malfi
The Only Good Indians (2020), by Stephen Graham Jones
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (2018) by Michelle McNamara
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Let Us Palaver #11 – Hearts in Atlantis Debrief
Following the debate and disagreements of the main deep dive into Hearts in Atlantis, Nat stuck around to discuss some more spoiler-laden details. We talk about the wider impact of the Low Men, and how this …
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Following the debate and disagreements of the main deep dive into Hearts in Atlantis, Nat stuck around to discuss some more spoiler-laden details. We talk about the wider impact of the Low Men, and how this book is starting to hint at a major secret that Chris can’t yet know.
We also make plans for how to bring this project home – and spend a fair bit of time just calling Chris names!
Enjoy. But for your father’s sake Do Not Listen if you haven’t read the entire Dark Tower saga!!
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The Dark Tower Deep Dive #11 – Hearts in Atlantis
Deep dives don’t go any deeper than lost Atlantis! In this latest station of the Dark Tower readalong, we head back to the 1960s for Stephen King’s Hearts in Atlantis – a book closer to my heart than almost …
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Deep dives don’t go any deeper than lost Atlantis!
In this latest station of the Dark Tower readalong, we head back to the 1960s for Stephen King’s Hearts in Atlantis – a book closer to my heart than almost anything King has ever written. As such, this gets a little contentious and arguments ensue. I will not back down!!
We talk about how this capsule of the USA’s most turbulent decade links directly to the Dark Tower. We spot hints of Randall Flagg. We talk peace and love, cynicism and hope, and we celebrate one of King’s greatest ever pieces of character work. Chris meets Low Men for the first time (or is it!?) and Nat gives us his take on the anti-boomer despair at the fulcrum of this novel.
It’s a lot. Hence the 2.45 running time.
Hope you enjoy it.
- Koko (1988), by Peter Straub
- First Blood (1972), by David Morrell
- From a Buick 8 (2002), by Stephen King
- Matterhorn (2009), by Karl Marlantes
- The Sorrow of War (1987), by Bảo Ninh
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301 – Jane Schoenbrun & Trapped by the Goonies?
You may know Jane Schoenbrun as the genius behind I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasm, but I’m telling you that you HAVE to check out their debut novel. Public Access Afterworld is an epic …
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You may know Jane Schoenbrun as the genius behind I Saw the TV Glow and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasm, but I’m telling you that you HAVE to check out their debut novel.
Public Access Afterworld is an epic of the inbetween. It’s about a mysterious TV signal that reveals ruptures in reality, and how all of existence is so much stranger than we know. It’s an extension of Jane’s creative obsessions and their work to date, but also entirely it’s own insane thing.
Jane and I talk about the big themes. Media and reality, identity and transformation, horror and love. We give no spoilers, we just invite you in. Come join us between the static and the signal.
Enjoy – and thanks for listening.
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300 – Dorian Ravenscroft & Finding Love in a Hopeless Place
The 300th author interview is here. And I’m delighted it’s with a debut author, about a truly wonderful book. Dorian Ravenscroft’s The White North Has Thy Bones is a supreme slice of Polar Gothic and Queer …
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The 300th author interview is here. And I’m delighted it’s with a debut author, about a truly wonderful book.
Dorian Ravenscroft’s The White North Has Thy Bones is a supreme slice of Polar Gothic and Queer Horror alike. It’s the story of a disastrous 1860 expedition to the Arctic, and the competing stories of brutality and survival told by the few who make it home. Despite all the bloodshed and … strange meat… it’s also, somehow, a moving love story.
We talk about all of those elements, as well as the weirder parts of Arctic naval history and just why the great frozen north is such a good backdrop for Queer stories. And I give my advice for how to survive being starvation on the ice.
Enjoy – and thanks for listening.
The Terror (2007), by Dan Simmons
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (2025), by David Grann
Where the Dead Wait (2023), by Ally Wilkes
Coffin Moon (2025), by Keith Rosson
An Immaculate Deception (2026) by Isabela Livino
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Off Book #24 – Whalefall, with Brian Duffield & Daniel Kraus
Happy Whalefall Weekend! Brian Duffield’s incredible adaptation of Daniel Kraus’ novel is now in cinemas. I was lucky enough to see an early screening and even luckier to get time with Brian and Daniel to talk …
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Happy Whalefall Weekend!
Brian Duffield’s incredible adaptation of Daniel Kraus’ novel is now in cinemas. I was lucky enough to see an early screening and even luckier to get time with Brian and Daniel to talk about how the hell they made something so audacious.
We talk daddy issues aplenty, whale stomach sets, practical FX and the toll they took on the star, Austin Abrams. And I get lost in my own rapture over a certain scene that almost made me feel a real, authentic human emotion. Unbelievable.
Enjoy!
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299 – Will Maclean & Uneasy Islands in Time
In Solace House, Will Maclean takes us back to the 90s for a drug-fuelled trip through some mindbending architecture. It’s a chance to get nostalgic for a more innocent time, when the clothes were baggy, the …
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In Solace House, Will Maclean takes us back to the 90s for a drug-fuelled trip through some mindbending architecture. It’s a chance to get nostalgic for a more innocent time, when the clothes were baggy, the music was better, and you could spend a summer spent renovating an old asylum without needing to put in on TikTok.
It’s all fun and games until the existential terror kicks in and the fabric of reality comes unwoven.
Enjoy. This one was a good laugh.
- The Apparition Phase (2020), by Will Maclean
- And He Shall Appear (2025), by Kate van der Borgh
- The Modern Antiquarian (1998), by Julian Cope
- The Prisonhouse of Language (1972), by Fredric Jameson
- The Human Evasion (1969), by Celia Green
- Starmaker (1937), by Olaf Stapledon
- A Short Stay in Hell (2009), by Steven L. Peck
- “The Jaunt,” in Night Shift (1978), by Stephen King
- The Divine Farce (2009), by Michael Graziano
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298 – Stephen King & The Final Turn of the Big Combination
This episode needs no attempt at a witty introduction. Stephen King is back to talk about Other Worlds Than These – the concluding volume of The Talisman saga, begun with Peter Straub 45 years ago. We keep it …
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This episode needs no attempt at a witty introduction. Stephen King is back to talk about Other Worlds Than These – the concluding volume of The Talisman saga, begun with Peter Straub 45 years ago.
We keep it spoiler-free, but we talk about Jack Sawyer’s journey and how it entwines with The Dark Tower. We reflect on The Talisman and Black House, on Wolf and my heartbreak. We discuss Peter’s inspiration for the story and how King summoned him to bring it to a close. And we even get some hints of what’s cooking in Steve’s brain for future projects. It seems he’s never slowing down, no matter what he say.
I hope you enjoy this.
Other books mentioned:
- Julia (1975), by Peter Straub
- Ghost Story (1979), by Peter Straub
- Redheaded Peckerwood (2010), by Christian Patterson
- King Sorrow (2025), by Joe Hill
- Sleeping Beauties (2017), by Stephen and Owen King
- Trad Wife (2026), by Sarah Langan
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297 – Kyle Winkler & Roll For Your “F**K You” Stats
Leaning into absolute high geekery this week – with Kyle Winkler’s novel of how family game night can go badly wrong! The Ship of Death is about a cursed (and I mean CURSED!) tabletop role-playing game and the …
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Leaning into absolute high geekery this week – with Kyle Winkler’s novel of how family game night can go badly wrong!
The Ship of Death is about a cursed (and I mean CURSED!) tabletop role-playing game and the unlucky couple who choose to play it. Or, as Kyle describes it “Dark Jumanji.”
It prompts a conversation about games in life and fiction. Epistolary structure and found-fiction. We discuss his relationship with the bizarre, his love for mysteries without answers, we consider who is really responsible for the world-building in a story, and we pay a lot of respect to cosmic horror influences beyond Lovecraft.
It’s was a delight to record. Hope you enjoy listening.
Other books mentioned:
- Grasshands (2024), by Kyle Winkler
- Boris Says the Words (2022), by Kyle Winkler
- The Nothing That Is (2020), by Kyle Winkler
- Borne (2017), by Jeff VanderMeer
- Zothique (1970), by Clarke Ashton Smith
- The Dying Earth (1950), by Jack Vance
- Enduring Love (1997), by Ian McEwan
- Negative Space (2020), by B.R. Yeager
- True Crime (2020), by Samantha Kolesnik
- The House Next Door (1978), by Anne River Siddons
- My Dark Places (1996), by James Ellroy
- Penpal (2012), by Dathan Auerbach
- Mockingbird (1980), by Paul Tevis
- The Blacktongue Thief (2021), by Christopher Buehlman
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296 – Deena Helm & Horror Says Free Palestine
This week’s episode shows what a good haunted house can do. Deena Helm is a mixed American-Palestinian author, who’s debut novel, Our Cut of Salt, puts all the power of the Gothic to use in framing the …
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This week’s episode shows what a good haunted house can do.
Deena Helm is a mixed American-Palestinian author, who’s debut novel, Our Cut of Salt, puts all the power of the Gothic to use in framing the occupation and oppression of Palestine. It takes place before the ongoing genocide, but offer a chance to consider how horror fiction can play its part in framing that obscenity.
That all sounds heavy, and it rightfully is – but this book also has a frightening, tragic and murderous house at its core… so there’s (our kind) of fun to be had as well.
This is an important episode for the show. I hope you listen and enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
White is for Witching (2009), by Helen Oyeyemi
Tell Me I’m Worthless (2021), by Alison Rumfitt
Frankenstein in Baghdad (2013), by Ahmed Saadawi
Mornings in Jenin (2006), by Susan Abulhawa
Behind You is the Sea (2024), by Susan Muaddi Darraj
Gentle Things (2026), by Danielle Giles
Hungerstone (2025), by Kat Dunn
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295 – Chris Panatier & If These Walls Could Talk
Home is where the horror is this week, with Chris Panatier and Worry Box! This latest offering from Panatier’s uniquely strange mind is a complete revision of the haunted house as we know it. It’s a house that …
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Home is where the horror is this week, with Chris Panatier and Worry Box!
This latest offering from Panatier’s uniquely strange mind is a complete revision of the haunted house as we know it. It’s a house that means well, but understands little. Couple that with a family in flux and a child suffering intrusive thoughts, and you have a recipe for terrible, no-good disaster.
In short, it’s 400 pages of slowly tightening dread!
I hope you enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
- The Redemption of Morgan Bright (2024), by Chris Panatier
- This House isn’t Haunted but We Are (2025), by Stephen Howard
- Our Cut of Salt (2026), by Deena Helm
- Pet Semetary (1983), by Stephen King
- The Library at Mount Char (2015), by Scott Hawkins
- Gideon the Ninth (2019), by Tamsyn Muir
- Gormenghast (1950), by Mervyn Peak
- Angel Down (2025), by Daniel Kraus
- Chimera Skin (2026), by Johnny Compton
- The Butcher of Nazareth (2026), by David Scott Hay
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294 – China Miéville & A Million Dreaming Words for Ghost
There are big books and big books. This week we cover a HUGE book. China Miéville is the guest. The award-winning author of Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, The City & the City, and other modern speculative …
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There are big books and big books. This week we cover a HUGE book.
China Miéville is the guest. The award-winning author of Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, The City & the City, and other modern speculative classics – and he’s back with a book two decades in the making.
The Rouse is an epic of true proportions, a 1300-page saga of the twentieth century, rife with war, atrocity, tragedy, and a secret war fought with ghosts?? That’s the premise but it barely touches the sides of this ginormous undertaking.
This is not just a conversation, it’s a search for answers – in which we plumb the personal, political, and supernatural influences behind this story of shady military conspiracy and ghosts of many strange kinds.
I hope you enjoy, ‘cos I worked my ass off for this one!
Other books mentioned:
- King Rat (1999), by China Miéville
- The City & The City (2009), by China Miéville
- Ducks, Newburyport (2019), by Lucy Ellman
- Gravity’s Rainbow (1973), by Thomas Pyncheon
- Against the Day (2006), by Thomas Pyncheon
- House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. Danielewski
- “The Ash Tree” (1904), by M.R. James
- A Dark Corner (1971), by Celia Dale
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293 – James Tynion IV & How to Draw a Dismembered Child
James Tynion IV is a modern master of the horror comic. He’s the maniac behind so many contemporary classic series, but perhaps none are such pop-culture behemoths as Something is Killing the Children. I mean… …
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James Tynion IV is a modern master of the horror comic. He’s the maniac behind so many contemporary classic series, but perhaps none are such pop-culture behemoths as Something is Killing the Children.
I mean… with a title like that, how could it fail?
With the new omnibus collection out right now, and an in-world novel (co-authored with Kiersten White) coming in October, I thought now was a good time to get James on the show and talk monsters, masks, mythology and the most baddass hero in graphic novels.
Enjoy!
Other books mentioned:
- The Woods (2014-2017), by James Tynion IV
- Memetic (2014-2015), by James Tynion IV
- Hide (2022), by Kiersten White
- At the Mountains of Madness (2019), by Gau Tenabe
- Monster (1994-2001), by Naoki Urusawa
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292 – Chuck Wendig & Little Vulgar Hell-Babies
Wendig is here!! The man my wife refers to as “Chuck Apples” (as opposed to “Chuck Fight Club) is back to talk about his most fun, yet nastiest book to date. The Calamities is what would happen if The Godfather …
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Wendig is here!! The man my wife refers to as “Chuck Apples” (as opposed to “Chuck Fight Club) is back to talk about his most fun, yet nastiest book to date. The Calamities is what would happen if The Godfather had cenobites, if Logan Roy had made a pact with monsters, it prompts me to ask the questions “who’s your favourite demon Chuck?”
That kinda book.
Chuck tells us how the study of demonology has underpinned almost his entire writing career. We discuss the increasingly tight links between his novels, the influence of D&D structure, and the challenge of making the reader care about some of the worst-behaved characters in the world.
And I drop the C-bomb for the first time on air. That damn baby deserves it.
Enjoy!
Other books mentioned:
- Staircase in the Woods (2024), by Chuck Wendig
- Daytide (2026), by Chris Panatier
- The Three Body Problem (2008), by Cixin Liu
- Books of Blood (1984-88), by Clive Barker
- Cabal (1988), by Clive Barker
- Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology (2021), by Ed Simon
- Blacktail (2026), by Scott Hawkins
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291 – Natasha Pulley & No Priests Were Harmed in the Making of this Podcast
No one let the Pope listen to this week’s episode. Our guest is Natasha Pulley, genre-defying author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Bedlam Stacks, The Kingdoms, and now, in the The Salt King she pits …
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No one let the Pope listen to this week’s episode.
Our guest is Natasha Pulley, genre-defying author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Bedlam Stacks, The Kingdoms, and now, in the The Salt King she pits the Vatican and Catholic Doctrine against something much, much older, lurking in the salt mines of the world.
It leads us to a conversation about faith of many kinds, about reality-adjacent fiction, the horrid truth of Sodom and Gomorrah, dark representations of the Catholic Church, and the challenge of fusing folk horror and global apocalypse.
There are also some holy dick pics.
Enjoy!
Other books mentioned:
- Gentle Things (2026), by Danielle Giles
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2024), by Susanna Clarke
- The Hill in the Dark Grove (2026), by Liam Higginson
- The Name of the Rose (1980), by Umberto Eco
- Foundation (1951), by Isaac Asimov
- A Canticle for Liebowitz (1959), by Walter M. Miller Jr
- Father Alberto and the Flying Girl (2026), by Timothy X Atack
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Off Book #23 – Are We Doomed? A Cheerful Guide to Apocalypse, with Ben Bradford
Happy Friday! Let’s talk about the end of the world. Our guest is Ben Bradford, creator and host of Are We Doomed? – the new hit podcast examining the existential risks facing humanity. “Dammit Neil”, I hear …
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Happy Friday! Let’s talk about the end of the world.
Our guest is Ben Bradford, creator and host of Are We Doomed? – the new hit podcast examining the existential risks facing humanity.
“Dammit Neil”, I hear you say “Are we not suffering enough.” To you I reply … sure, Ben and I make talk nukes and rogue AI, climate change and supervolcanoes, but believe me, you’ll feel more optimistic at the end of this episode!
Somehow, the general answer to Are We Doomed seems to be “no, not if we don’t want to be.” So have faith, listen, and have a great weekend.
Enjoy!
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290 – Liam Higginson & Awful Things in Lonely Farmhouses
Finally, we dare venture to the darkest land of all. Wales! After years of avoiding the terror of the Valleys, Liam Higginson takes us to The Hill in the Dark Grove – his debut novel of isolation, folk-memory …
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Finally, we dare venture to the darkest land of all. Wales!
After years of avoiding the terror of the Valleys, Liam Higginson takes us to The Hill in the Dark Grove – his debut novel of isolation, folk-memory, and things unearthed from the soil of a mountain farm.
We talk about the link between folklore and nationalism, about marriage and madness (not linked) and why it’s always men who go barmy in these situations.
This is up there with my favourite books of the year.
Enjoy!
Other books mentioned:
- The Shining (1977), by Stephen King
- Incidents Around the House (2024), by Josh Malerman
- The Salt King (2026), by Natasha Pulley
- Small Gods (1992), by Terry Pratchett
- Meet Me at the Surface (2024), by Jodie Matthews
- Boss in the Wall: A Treatise on the House Devil (1998), by Avram Davison and Grania Davis
- North Woods (2023), by Daniel Mason
- Country People (2026), by Daniel Mason
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289 – Annie Jacobsen & Be Afraid… Be Very Afraid
This may be my scariest episode ever! We’ve covered non-fiction before, but rarely is the truth more frightening than the stories we tell. This week it just might be… cos Annie Jacobsen is here with Biological …
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This may be my scariest episode ever!
We’ve covered non-fiction before, but rarely is the truth more frightening than the stories we tell. This week it just might be… cos Annie Jacobsen is here with Biological War: A Scenario.
It unveils a narrative of speculative reality, in which an engineered pathogen escapes a lab, and runs rampant through our civilisation. Cities fall, millions die, the lights go out.
I dared myself to read it. I dare you to listen to Annie tell us about her research, and the stuff she found that scares the hell out of her.
Enjoy (sort of!)
Other books mentioned:
- Nuclear War: A Scenario (2024), by Annie Jacobsen
- “A Modest Proposal” (1729), by Jonathan Swift
- World War Z (2006), by Max Brooks
- The Deluge (2023), by Stephen Markley
- A Brief History of the Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters (2021), by Andrew H. Knoll
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Let Us Palaver #10 – Wolves of the Calla Debrief
In our main Wolves of the Calla Deep Dive, we came within touching distance of the Dark Tower’s biggest secret yet. Chris doesn’t know what to think, which is just where Nat and I want him. So we stuck around …
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In our main Wolves of the Calla Deep Dive, we came within touching distance of the Dark Tower’s biggest secret yet. Chris doesn’t know what to think, which is just where Nat and I want him.
So we stuck around to talk in full-spoiler terms about all the stuff Chris is yet to discover, and our own thoughts on books to come, on choice lines from Calla, and just what that reveal in the final pages really means for the nature of Roland’s world.
Enjoy. But for your father’s sake Do Not Listen if you haven’t read the entire Dark Tower saga!!
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The Dark Tower Deep Dive #10 – Wolves of the Calla
Hallelujah, come commala, we’re back together! Finally, after stopping for side missions with Jack Sawyer, and a pair of stories of Roland’s younger days, we’re back in Midworld’s here-and-now to push on …
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Hallelujah, come commala, we’re back together!
Finally, after stopping for side missions with Jack Sawyer, and a pair of stories of Roland’s younger days, we’re back in Midworld’s here-and-now to push on towards the Dark Tower. It’s time for Wolves of the Calla, a novel of old friends, new enemies…and a quite surprising amount of boobs.
This is also where certain things start to get REAL!! We’re on the precipice of great discovery and you can hear Chris Panatier try to deal with it.
Enjoy folken!
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288 – Danielle Giles & A Spoonful of Skulldust (Makes the Medicine Go Down)
Time for a horrid history lesson. Daniell Giles is the author of medieval gothic Mere (2025), and the brand-new Restoration horror-show, Gentle Things. In this episode she talks about the nightmare of research …
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Time for a horrid history lesson.
Daniell Giles is the author of medieval gothic Mere (2025), and the brand-new Restoration horror-show, Gentle Things. In this episode she talks about the nightmare of research, the similarities between the 1660s and our own sh**ty decade, and how much we both love Sarah Waters.
But mostly it’s a guided tour of a dirty period in history, of murder, misogyny and… medicinal cannibalism!
Yes, it’s a thing, and it’s nasty.
Enjoy
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287 – Megan Bontrager & The Cave of Cosmic Narcissism
I hope you have your headtorch this week – cos we’re going to some deep, dark places. Megan Bontrager’s debut novel, The Sea Hides its Dead, is a story of a mysterious cave, an unprepared expedition, and the …
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I hope you have your headtorch this week – cos we’re going to some deep, dark places.
Megan Bontrager’s debut novel, The Sea Hides its Dead, is a story of a mysterious cave, an unprepared expedition, and the monstrous secrets they find within. It’s shadowed by Lovecraft, it has big freaky monsters, and a whole deep mythology to unpick.
In short it’s my kinda story. The exact level of geekery I like to discuss.
Discuss we do. Meghan and I talk about video game inspirations, global sea cults, monsters and mysteries in The Bible, and worst of all – sleazy academics.
Plus, I give my honest opinion on spelunking! (It’s not favourable)
Enjoy
Other books mentioned:
- The Eye of Ouroboros (2024), by Megan Bontrager
- The Caretaker (2026), by Marcus Kliewer
- The Fisherman (2017), by John Langan
- The Ruins (2006), by Scott Smith
- Babylon, South Dakota (2026), by Tom Lin
- The Faceless Thing We Adore (2025), by Hester Steel
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Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
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286 – Chuck Tingle & Kill the Vegan Rockstars
Love is very very real on this week’s episode. The man, the myth, Chuck Tingle returns for a conversation about his latest novel, Fabulous Bodies – a story of body horror, influencer culture, artistic integrity …
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Love is very very real on this week’s episode. The man, the myth, Chuck Tingle returns for a conversation about his latest novel, Fabulous Bodies – a story of body horror, influencer culture, artistic integrity and glam rock graverobbing.
We talk about all of that, as well as the different rules for famous people, combining humour and extreme violence, we get some nuggets of info about Chuck’s youth, and I rant about how I hate Coldplay.
Chuck is a force for good in the world. Hear his words. Read his books.
Enjoy.
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285 – Paul Tremblay & Eternity at Bernie’s
This week we’re putting the boot right into the ribs of the AI Industry, but doing it in horrific style, with Paul Tremblay and Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep. It’s a story of a young gamer, tasked with …
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This week we’re putting the boot right into the ribs of the AI Industry, but doing it in horrific style, with Paul Tremblay and Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep.
It’s a story of a young gamer, tasked with piloting a man’s comatose body across the United States using AI tech. But deep inside, the man is still conscious, and what he’s experiencing is nightmarish.
Dark stuff, but surprisingly fun, maybe even funny. Paul and I talk about the humour and the human indignity of his story. He discusses the challenges of writing such a bodily novel, the horrific potential of endless virtual suffering, and we hear notes from the frontline of his legal case against ChatGPT.
Always a joy to have Paul on the show!
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
The Sister’s Brothers (2011), by Patrick DeWitt
“No, Artificial Intelligence is Not Conscious” (2026), by Ted Chiang – in The Atlantic
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003), by Mary Roach
The Deluge (2023), by Stephen Markley
The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness Is Widespread But Can't Be Computed (2019), by Christof Koch
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” (1967), by Harlan Ellison
The Loop (2020), by Jeremy Robert Johnson
A Short Stay in Hell (2009), by Stephen L. Peck
The Flayed Man (2026), by Chloe Lauter
Tillinghast (2026), by Clare Cavenagh
Trad Wife (2026), by Sarah Langan
Babylon, South Dakota (2026), by Tom Lin
The Rouse (2026), by China Mieville
Desert Radio (2026), by Pamela Durgin
Support Talking Scared on Patreon
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Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
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Off Book #22 – Scaredy Boys & The Coward’s Guide to Horror Movies (Part 2)
Part Two of my Scaredy Boy special, in which I quiz my friends in fear, Damo, Sean and To—AKA the Scaredy Boys themselves—about what they’ve seen and suffered through in their podcasting mission to conquer …
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Part Two of my Scaredy Boy special, in which I quiz my friends in fear, Damo, Sean and To—AKA the Scaredy Boys themselves—about what they’ve seen and suffered through in their podcasting mission to conquer horror movies.
We talk number one examples of dread, disgust and despair. We pick our favourite horror villains. We talk about the films we’ll never watch again and those we’re too scared to watch in the first place.
Consider this a viewing guide for the brave and the frightened alike.
Enjoy!
Support Talking Scared and get become a Patreon subscriber.
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284 – Tom Lin & Who Wants to Live Forever?
Would you rather die or live on and on and on and on… That’s one of the questions at the heart of Tom Lin’s Babylon, South Dakota. It’s a novel about a Chinese family who inherit an American farm, and whose …
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Would you rather die or live on and on and on and on…
That’s one of the questions at the heart of Tom Lin’s Babylon, South Dakota. It’s a novel about a Chinese family who inherit an American farm, and whose lives are forever changed when the US military build strange missile silos on their land. It’s weird, inexplicable, deep, epic, sad and joyful and all the other things that make a good book.
But it’s also dark. It prompts questions that might keep you awake in the warm depths of the summer night. And Tom and I talk about all of it.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
- The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu (2021), by Tom Lin
- “On Exactitude in Science” (1947), by Jorge Luis Borges
- “The Library of Babel,” (1941), by Jorge Luis Borges
- Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (1990), by James Tiptree Jr.
- End of Days: Ruby Ridge, the Apocalypse and the Unmaking of America (2026), by Chris Jennings
Support Talking Scared on Patreon
Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch
Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Off Book #21 – Scaredy Boys & The Coward’s Guide to Horror Movies (Part 1)
The first of a two-part special with the Scaredy Boys, my brothers-in-cowardice from Down Under. Damo, Tom and Sean are famously and unashamedly terrified of horror movies, and started a podcast to face their …
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The first of a two-part special with the Scaredy Boys, my brothers-in-cowardice from Down Under. Damo, Tom and Sean are famously and unashamedly terrified of horror movies, and started a podcast to face their fears. Since 2020 they’ve been watching and analysing a horror movie every week – so now they’ve probably seen more than most of us.
I got them onto Talking Scared to discuss their insane project, their changing attitudes to horror, and ask them some specific questions about what they’ve learned to love and fear along the way.
Episode Two is out next Friday, or available right now for Patreon subscribers
Enjoy!
Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch
Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
283 – Naomi Kritzer & It Could Happen Anywhere
I dunno if this week’s episode is a dystopian nightmare or just a realist thriller. Naomi Krtizer, multi-award winning author of sci-fi and horror, join me for a conversation about her new novella, Obstetrix …
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I dunno if this week’s episode is a dystopian nightmare or just a realist thriller.
Naomi Krtizer, multi-award winning author of sci-fi and horror, join me for a conversation about her new novella, Obstetrix. It follows the struggles of doctor, kidnapped by a cult to work as their in-house OBGYN. What follows is a balance between personal survival and the obligation to the women in her care.
Naomi and I talk about the state of healthcare and reproductive rights in America, which is never not a serious conversation. But we try to lighten the mood with some chat about the respite of reading (and re-reading), and the working definition of cults.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
- “Monster” (2020), by Naomi Kritzer
- American War (2017), Omar El Akkad
- The Midnight Shift (2025), by Cheon Seon-Ran
- Nestlings (2023), by Nat Cassidy
- The God of Endings (2023), by Jacqueline Holland
Support Talking Scared on Patreon
Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch
Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
282 – CJ Leede & Peeling Back the Skin of the World
Horror’s reigning Queen of Extreme returns to the show! CJ Leede is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture, and if you’re abreast of contemporary horror you’ve heard of her twisted take on Americana …
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Horror’s reigning Queen of Extreme returns to the show!
CJ Leede is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture, and if you’re abreast of contemporary horror you’ve heard of her twisted take on Americana.
She’s back to talk about her third novel, Headlights, in which people are waking up from fugue-like states, to find themselves draped in the flayed skins of other people. What’s going on? Who’s doing it? Is it human or supernatural? Does it have anything at all to do with Stephen King’s The Shining? And where does the songwriting magic of John Denver come into things?
CJ answers these and many other similarly weird questions. There’s so much to cover, we barely even talk about the act of skinning someone alive.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
- The Shining (1977), by Stephen King
- Doctor Sleep (2013), by Stephen King
- How to Disappear Completely (2027), by Liz Kerin
Support Talking Scared on Patreon
Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch
Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
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281 – Melissa Albert & The Howling Strangeness
Melissa Albert’s novel may be called The Children, but it’s certainly not for kids. This is a story about the dark creativity behind bright make-believe, about the pretty lies of childhood and the brutal truths …
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Melissa Albert’s novel may be called The Children, but it’s certainly not for kids.
This is a story about the dark creativity behind bright make-believe, about the pretty lies of childhood and the brutal truths of growing up. It’s about writers and writing and as you’ll hear me point out, it does for fantasy fiction what Stephen King’s Misery did for Gothic romance.
And by god do we talk about all of that. As well as celebrating a character that I believe to be one of the best “bad-mothers” in recent fiction (and the secret hero of the book!)
But maybe that’s just me. I’m twisted.
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
- The Hazel Wood (2018), by Melissa Albert
- The Magicians (2009), by Lev Grossman
- Daytide (2026), by Chris Panatier
- When You Reach Me (2009) by Rebecca Stead
- Fangirl (2013), by Rainbow Rowell
- This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (2026), by Ilona Andrews
Support Talking Scared on Patreon
Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch
Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
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