Talking Scared

In the early 80’s I read Stephen King’s ‘Danse Macabre’, which created for me a list of ‘must-read’ horror and speculative fiction authors that has kept me busy for more than forty years - Matheson, Bloch, Straub, Finney, Bradbury and many more. I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say that this brilliant non-fiction work by THE master of horror has shaped my reading-life until now. The Talking Scared podcast series by Neil McRobert is well on its way to doing the same for my next forty years, if I live that long. Hopefully I will because as I begin my retirement I feel that I have exhausted the masters of the twentieth century and am ready for a twenty-first century horror re-boot. Time to discover some new authors! I only encountered this podcast series three weeks ago, and have already listened to the first fourteen episodes, all recorded in 2020, and am enthralled by the conversations. As I listen I have a notebook at the ready to capture each episodes ‘reading list’. And what a superb job it is doing! I have already read three outstanding novels in this time (The Cabin at the End of the World, Mexican Gothic and The Fisherman), and am half-way through my fourth - The Only Good Indian. With 200+ episodes recorded, I have a feeling that my ever-expanding booklist will more than serve my remaining years, for which I am grateful. Neil is a superb conversationist, brilliantly prepared for each episode, extremely knowledgeable and with a great knack at putting his guests at ease, teasing out wonderful threads about why and how the best horror fiction works so well. I cannot recommend more strongly. SUPERB.

This is a fantastic podcast that I’ve been aware of for a while, but only got round to last week. In seven days I’ve listened to a dozen episodes old and new, with authors I’m familiar with and those who I’m only now discovering. Neil is a fantastic host who has a knack of asking the right questions and getting his guests to be warm and encouraging through his own enthusiasm. If you’re a horror writer, you’ll find this inspirational. If you’re a horror reader, you’ll find it illuminating and insightful. Simply put, this is great stuff. Love it.

A true horror fan who asks all the questions you’d want to ask if your fav author is sat in front of you. The Stephen King episode was gorgeous and I’ve now subscribed 👌🏻

Smart, funny book reviews , interviews with authors and deep dives into classic faves. Love this pod! It’s intelligent without being patronising , all the conversations with authors are super interesting… Yes it’s horror based but there’s something here for all book lovers.