
47 episodes

Fictional Nextpod
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- Arts
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4.9 • 5.5K Ratings
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Classic lit with a modern tone, every other week.
From the creators of Myths and Legends, comes an altogether same-but-different podcast set in the world of classic lit. These are the stories of Dracula, The Time Machine, The Three Musketeers. They're stories written by Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and H.P. Lovecraft, but with a casual, modern tone. Listen as Jason and Carissa Weiser breathe new life into the classics and tell the stories of some of the greatest books ever written.
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Jack London: The You You Are
Dr. Freddie Drummond is in a great position: a fulfilling job, a wonderful fiancée, and the respect of titans of industry. So...why is he going out at night, living a double life?
Today's story was based on "South of the Slot" by Jack London. -
Time Enough at Last: One for the Books
Someday Henry Bemis is going to do it. Sometime he is going to go to that wonderful, glorious place and live the life of his dreams.
The place? Well, the public library, of course.
But...today is not that day.
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Today's episode was inspired by "Time Enough at Last" by Lynn Venable. -
Nikolai Gogol: Nose Goes
What happens when your nose leaves your face...and starts living a better life than you?
Today's episode was adapted from the story "The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol. You can find the full text here.
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Looking for something else to listen to? Check out Best of the Worst! It used to be a segment on this show. Now it's a weekly mini-cast. https://www.nextpod.com/botw-subscribe -
Edgar Allan Poe: Comorbid
You receive a letter from an old friend. He isn't doing well. He invites you to visit him at his house. His house...that's eating him whole.
Today's episode was inspired by "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe.
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Tolstoy: The Long Way Home
Two men, a servant and his master, take a drive on a snowy evening. The experience will forever alter both of their lives.
Adapted from "Master and Man" by Leo Tolstoy.
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If it sounds like it would be your thing, check out Mitos y Leyendas, Myths and Legends in Spanish! https://myths.link/mitos
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Philip K. Dick: Fallout
It's the 2010s and nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union has forced humanity into bunkers, scorching the planet and leaving only the Leadys, the semi-sentient robot fighters, to continue to wage the war above against other Leadys.
The humans below, however, think that their Leadys might have other motives...
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Adapted from "The Defenders" by Philip K. Dick.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful Storyteller!
I came to Fictional from listening to Myths and Legends. Jason is the best storyteller I have ever heard tell a tale, from the use of the pitch of his voice to properly pausing when the story calls for it to explaining a scene only for it to completely disintegrate into a whole new unfolding scene with a completely unexpected twist. I keep coming back for more! Thank you to both Jason and Carissa for endeavoring down this path in life. You are both awesome!!
Best storyteller
With the ways these stories are presented in this podcast it’s like you’re reading them for the very first time. It’s so brilliantly done! I love “The Count of Monte Cristo” but I know that lots of folks can’t “get through the book.” So I would advise to listen to it on this podcast. Any of the books really. The Edgar Allen Poes were delightful - again you may know the stories - but not the way Jason tells them!
Updated 2023: I love to go back & listen to previous recorded stories. I always catch something witty or an interesting discourse that brings the story to a whole new light. Thank you for this wonderful podcast!!
A Must Listen
Fantastic retellings, complete with some discourse explaining themes and tropes for some of these stories. Every time I see a new episode pop up, I treasure my time listening. Many are stories I would have never heard or read otherwise, that I am so glad I got to hear in this medium.
I’d love to hear White Fang (only book to ever give me nightmares for some reason), and The Picture of Dorian Gray.