Talking Scared

• The Dark Tower Deep Dive #4 – The Stand (Part Two)

  So, the circle closes… for now.   Here is the second and final part of our deep dive into Stephen King’s The Stand – the first of many major diversions on our way to The Dark Tower.   Last time we introduced the plague and the all-American heroes who survive it; this time we meet some of the weirder folk from the fringes of this apocalypse.   And we finally tangle with Randall Flagg, the Dark Man, the Walking Dude – our link to Mid-World and the travails of Roland Deschain.   We are loving making this for you. We hope you're enjoying listening.   Pre-order Chris’s Shitshow HERE   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• The Dark Tower Deep Dive #4 – The Stand (Part One)

  Time for a side quest.   Yes, this is the Dark Tower Readalong… you are not mistaken. But there are other worlds, and other books, and some of them have to be read for the fullest, most satisfying experience of Stephen King’s great saga.   In this first (of what will be many) diversions from the Ka-Tet’s quest, Nat, Chris and I turn to The Stand – the titanic tale of two tribes going to war. It’s a big big book, so this had to be a two-part thing. Here in episode one, we introduce Stu, Frannie, Larry and Nick, and discuss all things phlegmy and flu-like, and hint at why this book plays its part in the Dark Tower.   Plus. Rick Astley. Just wait.   Part Two is out next week, or available immediately on Patreon. M-O-O-N, that spells thank you, to anyone who signs up and supports the show. Laws yes!   Enjoy!   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 248 – Scott Carson & The Anticipation of the Bang!!

  After we spent last week in the muck and mire, this episode takes us up where skies are blue.   Just watch for the mushroom clouds.   The guest is Scott Carson, pseudonym of thriller writer, Michael Koryta, and author of The Chill (2020), Where They Wait (2021), and last year’s phenomenal Lost Man’s Lane. His new novel, Departure 37 is something totally different – it has Cold-War conspiracy, AI anxiety, tech-terror and nuclear brinkmanship.   Y’know, it’s like the news … but fun!   Scott and I discuss all of that, as well as the aviation mysteries that fascinate us both, and I give a much-deserved nod to the 90s brilliance of Michael Crichton.   Enjoy!   Other books mentioned: Where They Wait (2021), by Scott Carson Lost Man’s Lane (2024), by Scott Carson The Chill (2020), by Scott Carson Sole Survivor (1997), by Dean Koontz The Shining (1977), by Stephen King Nuclear War: A Scenario (2024), by Annie Jacobsen Six Days of the Condor (1974), by James Grady The Auctioneer (1975), by Joan Samson King Sorrow (2025), by Joe Hill Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 247 – Daniel Kraus and Sentenced to Death

  Daniel Kraus has never lacked for ambition in his fiction – but Angel Down may be the most audacious horror book of the year. It’s the story of broken men and a fallen angel in the trenches of the First World War.   Oh … and it’s told in one long 300 page sentence. Cos Daniel can. It’s not a gimmick, nor pretentiousness. No, this week, you’ll hear how the medium is very much the message. As well as our conversation about angels in horror, capturing the particular nightmare of 1914, and all the practical challenge that come with this single-sentence attempt.     It’s an inspiring episode.   Enjoy!   Other books mentioned: Whalefall (2023), by Daniel Kraus Blood Sugar (2019), by Daniel Kraus The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch: Volume One (2015), by Daniel Kraus Ducks, Newburyport (2019), by Lucy Ellman Hurricane Season (2017), by Fernanda Melchor Wolf at the Table (2024), by Adam Rapp The Remembered Soldier (2025), by Anjet Daanje From Under the Truck (2024), by Josh Brolin Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social  on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 246 – Wendy Wagner & Scooby Doo On Mushrooms

  Back on the trails for a mind-melting trip this week.   Wendy Wagner is in the hot-seat, playing shaman as we discuss The Girl in the Creek – her brand new novel of fungoid-terror, eco-thrills and psychedelic strangeness. It’s a beautiful, bewildering hallucination of a book.   Wendy’s inspirationsrange from cutting edge science to the antics of Scooby Doo and the gang, along with a sprinkle of Lovecraft, and a hint of self-hypnosis. We cover it all, along with a discussion of eco-grief, higher states of consciousness, weird non-fiction obsessions and a little bit of trail running chat – which I promise we make macabre.   Enjoy!   Other books mentioned:   “An Infestation of Blue” (2023), by Wendy Wagner The Deer Kings (2021), by Wendy Wagner Entangled Lives (2023), by Merlin Sheldrake Are We Smart Enough To Know How Smart Animals Are? (2016), by Frans de Waal The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy: What Animals on Earth Reveal About Aliens – and Ourselves (2020), by Arik Kershenbaum “The Colour Out of Space,” (1927), by H.P. Lovecraft Lost in the Dark, and Other Excursions (2025), by John Langan The October Film Haunt (2025), by Michael Wehunt   Support Talking Scared on Patreon   Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch   Come talk books on Bluesky @talkscaredpod.bsky.social  on Instagram/Threads, or email direct to [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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