So, this is the new year? Well, what a year it has been so far. I hope it has come to find you well and wanting for more great podcasts. That’s how it found me. Luckily there’s never a shortage of podcasts being released or promoted out of obscurity, so I was able to scrape up a few goodies. 

As always, I’ve aimed to deliver a diverse variety of audio drama and audio fiction podcasts for people who are new or seasoned to the whole audio fiction or audio drama podcast community. There’s horror, mystery, and more featured on this month’s round up. Hope you’re able to find something to peak your interest and fill your morning, night, or afternoon. 

SCIENCE FICTION

The cover art for Covid39. The show's title is in a white splattered typewriter font of a dark background with a textured biohazard symbol.

Covid39

When it comes to fictional stories about current bad times, I tend to avoid them. Why fictionalize something that is very real and painful for many people? Covid39 and the few shows out there like it don’t use the pandemic as a money shot, but as a way to examine where we are now and where we are headed. More than anything, Covid39 reads less like science fiction and more like a crystal ball or a mirror. The content and topics covered relate to many of us and tell a story that is still unfolding before us. Covid39 follows a couple who are curious if their love stems from the fact that during the pandemic their families lived together. Through audio recordings, letters, emails, and more, the two unearth the locked away memories of their time during the pandemic, the time happening right now. Set in the future but looking back on the present, Covid39 is both introspective and retrospective. 

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SPECULATIVE FICTION

The cover art for Tales from the Arcanist. The podcast's title is written in white clock serif font in front of a blue background. A white silhouette of a wizard hat is in the middle of the image, in front of a black soundwave illustration.

Tales from the Arcanist, “Red Velvet in Black Charcoal and Message in a Bottle”

The Arcanist is an online speculative flash fiction magazine that deals in horror, science fiction, fantasy, and all the weird spaces in-between. Like Strange Horizons, Nightmare Magazine, and other contemporary fiction magazines, The Arcanist has a podcast branch of their magazine, Tales from the Arcanist, where they read select stories from each issue. They’re fun, short, imaginative episodes from new and recognizable names in the genre. The whole podcast is worth a listen and a follow, but a recent episode is one I want to spotlight. “Red Velvet in Black Charcoal and Message in a Bottle” features two flash stories—one of which is recent Red Velvet in Black Charcoal by Maura Yzmore and one from 2019 Message in a Bottle by Jeff C. Carter. While one story follows the mystery and magic of children and their connections the other pulls listeners off to a different place where there is only you and the character’s salvation. 

Read more: Interview about Cryptids – a fiction podcast developed by a film company

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FANTASY 

The cover art for Maeltopia. On a black background, a white sketch of stick figures with arms raised, as though praying in a cave painting, in front of three skyscrapers with eyes floating atop.

Maeltopia- A New World of Horror Fiction, Episode 35 of “Tales of Maeltopia”

Though Maeltopia has been around for several years, I only recently began listening to the dark audio drama that tends to have a bit of fun with words. The thing that I like most about audio dramas that feature a splattering of tales from different writers is that each one delivers a different creepy experience. Each story is interconnected, though not in a cohesive order. Throughout the series, listeners can hear original stories told well. Due to Maeltopia’s unique cadence of episode releases—not all are in order and not all follow the same story as the last—the show tends to have an eerie and chaotic feeling that makes the listener feel as though they are stumbling through this dark strange world and they aren’t alone. 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Website 

HORROR

The cover art for I Am In Eskew. The font's title is written in grungy sans-serif all-caps text in front of a textured grunge cement background with a blood splatter.

I am in Eskew, “The Boy Who Saw Cracks in the World”

Another classic audio drama that I finally got around to listening to this month, I am in Eskew. Now, I’ve had this podcast on my radar for a while because it’s often recommended when listeners ask for podcasts similar to Night Vale, Old Gods of Appalachia, and other creepy location-oriented stories. The audio drama ended back in 2019, but the creators recently released a new audio drama series, The Silt Verses, so before diving into the new, I wanted to get familiar with the old. I am in Eskew struck me instantly as a creepy and atmospheric show rooted in its odd setting and characters. The show follows a man who has found himself trapped in the horrific and mythic landscape of Eskew. “The Boy Who Saw Cracks in the World” is the finale that further explores Eskew and the main character in a way that gives some answers while leaving others untouched. 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Website |Transcript

The cover art for 13 Days of Halloween. The title is written in a white, semi-transparent slab serif gothic font over a photograph of an old manor overlaid with blues and greens.

13 Days of Halloween

There are a lot of things to love and hate about big production audio dramas. They usually have enough money and backing to pull together a team of actors and writers that’s sure to be good for something. But a lot of times they lack that feel of original and groundbreaking that many independent productions have. While 13 Days of Halloween has a stellar cast featuring the likes of Keegan-Michael Key and others, it still holds close to feeling like an indie audio drama. Great for fans of Wrong Station and Deadly Manners, 13 Days of Halloween invites listeners to stay at the Hawthorne Manor where all sorts of odd guests and happenings are housed. Like many of Blumhouse’s productions, 13 Days of Halloween perfectly blends the horror and creep with the humorous and absurd. 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Website 

FICTION+

The cover art for storybound. In front of a dark navy background, a person illustrated in shades of blue falls while reading a book and wearing headphones, the pages flying past. The book and headphones are both red and orange. The podcast's title is at the bottom of the image in all-caps sans-serif orange text.

Storybound, Episode 6, “Noé Álvarez reads an excerpt from ‘Spirit Run’”

I think Storybound may be my new favorite audio fiction podcast this year. Each episode is a unique blend of story, drama, and sound that makes for an original and memorable listening experience. Storybound is an audio fiction podcast that feels like radio theater but for the present day. Each episode features an author and excerpt from their latest work. While the author reads the work, the experience of the telling is enhanced and deepened by musical soundscapes, scores, and vocal remixes. Though I recommend each of the episodes in this podcast, “Noé Álvarez reads an excerpt from ‘Spirit Run’” was a transformative reading and beautiful performance that paired Álvarez’s reading and work with Daniel Frankhuizen in a way that struck me and gave me a much-needed mental cleansing. 

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Website 

CHILDREN’S

The cover art for girl Tales. In front of a teal starburst background, an outline of a pink fist punches into the air holding a purple wand with a glowing yellow star at the end. The podcast's title is written in white lowercase bubble text with a purple outline and drop shadow.

Girl Tales

Many of the stories featured in Girl Tales are reimagined stories of classic tales like Rapunzel except this Rapunzel is a young Black girl with curly hair. Calling these stories reimagined fairy tales doesn’t really paint a clear picture of what these stories truly are. These stories borrow the names and some other factors, but the actual contents and themes are new and original. Since the list of writers for the podcast is so diverse, listeners are given the chance to hear stories from BIPOC and LGBTQ writers that center issues important to them. I’ve talked about this podcast in other roundups because I deeply recommend it to people with children in their lives. Too often we hear the same misogynistic and troubling tales from the same perspectives. Girl Tales rockets listeners away from those narratives and into new and better ones. 

Read more: Best Podcasts for Kids and Pre-teens

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And despite how many podcasts I listen to, it always seems there are more that I haven’t heard of. I am always grateful to people who put shows on my radar and suggest them to me. Like Storybound, a show that I might not have ever found if it wasn’t for a loyal reader who sent me the podcast. Or Maeltopia that I discovered digging around in the R/audiodrama subreddit—which is a great place to go to find podcasts, interact with other fans of the form, and promote your own podcasts. Whether it was a show recommended to me or one I found on my own, the above list has the best of the best of what I listened to this past month, and I reckon at least one of these will bring a little more light or darkness to your life. 

Related posts:

Our Favorite Horror Audio Drama Podcasts Podcasts to Prepare Your Kids and Teens for the Future Radio at the End of the World: Audio Fiction and Drama Podcast Roundup October 2021
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