The Well Told Tale

Hi everyone. This is Robert. Welcome to The Well Told Tale. Every week I narrate a classic story; the greatest science fiction, fantasy and speculative fiction stories ever written, not just in a small chunk at a time, but enough for you to really relax into. No adverts in the middle, just the story itself. All stories are pubic domain and free from copyright.

Last refreshed: April 15th, 2026 at 1:36 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This week we have a short story from F. Scott Fitzgerald. Best known for his novel "The Great Gatsby," Fitzgerald only ever wrote four novels, but published almost 200 short stories over his career. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is arguably his most famous, and was inspired by an observation by Mark Twain that it was a pity that the best part of life came at the beginning and the worst part at then end. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www....

Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 11

The Time Machine - Part 5 (of 5)

The fifth and final part of our reading of "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells. The Time Traveller, still 800,000 years in the future, has decided to reclaim his time machine and return to the present with Weena, the Eloi he has befriended. Will his plan work? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buying anything on Ama...

Feb 12, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 9

The Time Machine - Part 4 (of 5)

The fourth part of our reading of "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells. The Time Traveller, 800,000 years in the future, has discovered a second race descended from humanity, the Morlocks, and he is convinced that they have taken his Time Machine. How will he get it back? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buying anyt...

Feb 05, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 8

The Time Machine - Part 3 (of 5)

The third part of our reading of "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells. The Time Traveller has travelled 800,000 years in the future and met the Eloi, the beautiful, if flighty, inhabitants of this time. But is their paradise all it seems? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link h...

Jan 29, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 7

The Time Machine - Part 2 (of 5)

The second part of our telling of "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells. In Part 1, the Time Traveller revealed his time machine to his friends and in today's episode, he will tell them about what he experienced while using it. We pick up the story at Chapter 4. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buying anything on Ama...

Jan 22, 2020•39 min•Season 1Ep. 6

The Time Machine - Part 1 (of 5)

Today we start a new tale, 'The Time Machine' by H. G. Wells. This masterwork of science fiction from 1895 gave rise to the very idea of a time machine, a theme still beloved of sci-fi fans the world over. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link helps support the podcast): The...

Jan 15, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 5

The Fall of the House of Usher

Welcome to The Well Told Tale. This episode: a reading of The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe. A psychological horror from the master of Gothic horror, this tale was first published in 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link...

Jan 08, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 4

The Call of Cthulhu - Part 3 (of 3)

The third and final part of our telling of the classic gothic horror tale, 'The Call of Cthulhu' by H. P. Lovecraft. Our nameless narrator is convinced that cultists across the world are trying to bring about the return of Cthulhu. What will he discover as the tale concludes? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buyi...

Jan 01, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3

The Call of Cthulhu - Part 2 (of 3)

The second part of our telling of the classic gothic horror tale, 'The Call of Cthulhu' by H. P. Lovecraft. Our nameless narrator has been uncovering some disturbing things about his great uncle's research into strange cults all over the world. What will this instalment bring? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-well-told-tale-the-war-chest Books - (buy...

Jan 01, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 2

The Call of Cthulhu - Part 1 (of 3)

One of H. P. Lovecraft's most famous tales, we will be discovering 'The Call of Cthulhu' over the next three episodes. The ancient figure of Cthulhu lurks behind a number of Lovecraft's gothic horror tales, and has inspired countless writers (and memes) since it was first published in the magazine Weird Tales in 1928. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Or contribute to our War Chest here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/th...

Jan 01, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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