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 the world of monsters all that drives him? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please vis...
May 24, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 73
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 never met a family so unwilling to be terrified and he's feeling rather lost. What is a ghost to do wh...
Apr 14, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 67
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 "The Picture of Dorian Gray". As for the Canterville Ghost, he's had a long career of terrifyi...
Apr 07, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 66
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/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link helps support the podcast): The Edgar Al...
Mar 31, 2021•17 min•Season 1Ep. 65
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', 'How the Whale Got His Throat' and 'How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin'. If y...
Mar 24, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 64
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's publishers did not consider it integral to the story we have come to know. So, how did Stoker f...
Mar 17, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 63
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: Centenary Edition - https://amzn.to/3dCvOXn Films Conan the Barbarian (1982) - https://amzn.to/3nMl2lL Red Son...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 62
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 Barbarian - Complete Collection - https://amzn.to/341JWWZ The Complete Chronicles of Conan: Centenar...
Mar 03, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 61
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, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale I would like to thank my patrons:...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 59
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 - https://craphound.com/category/radicalized-full/ If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, ple...
Feb 11, 2021•33 min•Season 1Ep. 58
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 - https://craphound.com/ Little Brother - https://craphound.com/category/littlebrother/ Radicalized - http...
Feb 03, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 57
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.com/category/littlebrother/ Radicalized - https://craphound.com/category/radicalized-full/ If you&apos...
Jan 27, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Last week, we started a new Tale, entering a new world where death is no more, and people can live as long as they choose. Our narrator, Julius, has lived more than a century, but appears to be in his twenties. He's now living in Disney World with his girlfriend Lil, who is actually in her twenties. His friend Dan, who previously declared he would end his life when he'd 'done it all', has come to stay with them after achieving everything he wanted to and then trashing his val...
Jan 20, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Here at The Well Told Tale, we seek to share the best of sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction. For the past year we have focussed exclusively on classics of their genres, but this week's Tale marks an expansion into more modern works. "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" is Cory Doctorow's debut novel, published in 2003, and is unusually issued under a creative commons license, allowing fans to reproduce and build on Doctorow's work, provided their results are also off...
Jan 13, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 54
This week's Tale is the charming fantasy 'The Velveteen Rabbit' by Margery Williams. Beginning on a Christmas morning in the early 20th century, this story needs so little introduction, it's probably best just to pull up a chair, sit back and relax, as you imagine the excitement of a childhood Christmas morning. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this ...
Dec 23, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 53
We return to Dunwich for Part 2 of Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror" Last time, we were introduced to the Whateley family in the isolated village of Dunwich. Something is going on at their farmhouse which scares all visitors. Young Wilbur Whateley is horribly deformed, and his mother has disappeared, but strange noises are heard in the farmhouse and something seems to be... growing in there. Old Man Whateley has just died, but he has left Wilbur with a mission, for which he will ne...
Nov 25, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 1Ep. 49
This week, we return to the Cthulhu mythos. H. P Lovecraft's seminal creation has been featured in a fair few episodes of The Well Told Tale and this third standalone tale is similar in tone to "The Call of Cthulhu" and "At the Mountains of Madness." Something unspeakable and horrible lies dormant under the surface of polite society, just as much as in the wild places of this world. But perhaps that something unspeakable is not waiting to be awakened; perhaps it is awake...
Nov 18, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 48
This week's tale is a sci-fi short story from legendary Sherlock Holmes creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes was not his only bombastic hero, and this short story concerns another of his characters, Professor Challenger. He was first introduced in The Lost World , and features in a number of Conan Doyle science fiction stories. He may possess a similar analytical mind to Holmes, and although he is considered one of the greatest scientific minds in his world, Challenger is a brute, a huge...
Nov 11, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 47
This week, we return to Sleepy Hollow for Part 2 of Washington Irving's beloved gothic Tale. We have met the cast of characters - school master Ichabod Crane, the object of his affection Katrina Van Tassel, and his rival for her attention Brom Bones. We have also heard the famed local legend of the Headless Horseman. Our protagonists are gathered together at a fabulous party at the Van Tassel's house. There has been much food and dancing, but now the mood has turned towards sharing of ...
Nov 04, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 46
To celebrate Halloween, we return to the work of Washington Irving with his gothic horror classic "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". Published 200 years ago, this classic Tale has been an inspiration to many since appearing in the collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent , even getting the Disney treatment. But with All Hallow's Eve lurking between both parts of this Tale, we return to the source, in all its horrifying, bloodcurdling detail... If you'd like to support ...
Oct 28, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 45
We return with another short story from the Hyborian age. If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale 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: Centenary Edition - https://amzn.to/3dCvOXn Films Conan the Barbarian (1982) - https://amzn.to/3nMl2lL Red Sonja (1985) - https://amzn.to/2S...
Oct 14, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Today's Tale is a charming story by E. Nesbit. She is perhaps best known for "The Railway Children" and her more fantastical novels such as "Five Children and It," and is widely regarded as the first modern children's author. "The Book of Beasts" is the first story in a collection called "The Book of Dragons," which we may well revisit in the future. But for now, join us in the library as we discover what secrets the Book of Beasts is hiding... I...
Sep 30, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 41
In the second part of our reading of Sinbad the Sailor, we hear his retelling of his last four voyages. He's already faced being lost at sea (twice), giant birds, ogres and found fabulous treasures. What wonders await him on his final four voyages? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link helps support the podcast): The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor - https:...
Aug 05, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 34
This time, we return to the Thousand and One Nights to hear the Tale of Sinbad the Sailor, and his Seven Voyages. Interestingly, it wasn't in the earliest editions of the collection known as the Arabian Nights, and so likely developed as a story in its own right, but thanks to Galland's famous translation, this and some of the other famous stories became included in the collection as a whole. Sinbad has captured the imagination for centuries, so join us as we learn of what transpired o...
Jul 29, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Today's Tale is a whimsical short story from renowned Victorian writer, Oscar Wilde. Best known for his plays, Wilde did write a number of short stories, including this charming morality tale-within-a-tale. Or is it a critique of morality tales? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying anything on Amazon through this link helps support the podcast): Oscar Wilde Short Stories - https://amzn.to/3eJRBL...
Jul 22, 2020•26 min•Season 1Ep. 32
The final part of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. Dorothy has accidentally succeeded in slaying the Wicked Witch and her companions have been 'rewarded' with their sought after brains, heart and courage, but the Wizard of Oz is stumped at how to keep his promise to her. Will Dorothy ever be able to get back to Kansas? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying anything on...
Jul 15, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Part Four of our reading of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. Our intrepid crew have finally made it to the Emerald City and secured an audience with the great and terrible Oz. He has agreed, in his many forms, to the requests of Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, but on one condition: they must kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Will they? And can they...? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www...
Jul 08, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Part Three of our reading of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. Dorothy and the Scarecrow have been joined by the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion on their quest to see the Wizard of Oz, but they have run into danger - a deadly poppy field that could send Dorothy and the Lion to sleep forever. With some quick thinking, the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow have rescued little Dorothy, but how will they save the Lion? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit u...
Jul 01, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In our last episode, Dorothy was given the Wicked Witch of the East's silver shoes and embarked on the long journey to reach the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City, as it seems he's the only person powerful enough to magic her home. On the way, she liberated the Scarecrow, who decided to join her and ask the Wizard for some brains. Who will they meet next in their adventure? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldt...
Jun 24, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Our new Tale is the "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum. Thanks to the classic movie, it's a story most people are familiar, but there are some interesting differences between that and the book it was based on. Baum's idea for the book was a modern fairy tale, something to be simply enjoyed by the children of the day. So, in that spirit, let us journey to Oz with Dorothy and Toto... If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patr...
Jun 17, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 27
